ISLAMABAD:
The Maritime Affairs Minister on Friday requested a detailed report on the hijacking of an oil tanker by pirates near Somalia with 11 Pakistani crew members on board, and directed the relevant authorities to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Pakistan Navy and others for the recovery of the hostages.
Initial details indicated that pirates hijacked an oil tanker named ‘Owner 25’ in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Somalia on Tuesday. The ship’s crew included its captain, an Indonesian national, along with 11 Pakistanis.
In a statement, Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said efforts had been intensified to ensure the safe recovery of the Pakistani crew members from the pirates. The statement added that the ministry was closely monitoring the situation.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf increased after the American and Israeli attacks on Iran. Since then, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz. Then Saudi Arabia began pumping crude from its oil-producing Eastern Province to the Yanbu area on the Red Sea coast through the 1,200-kilometer east-west pipeline.
However, shipping companies in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait are regularly under threat, not only from Somali pirates, but also from Yemen’s Houthi movement. There is so far no information on the name and nationality of the owner and the shipping company that operates the hijacked tanker.
Reports from official sources indicate that the crew is currently in captivity and negotiations for their release are reportedly underway. They added that the State Department is working with the Somali government for the safe release of the Pakistani crew members.
