Pakistan has formally appealed to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to step in and secure the Pakistani seafarers release, referring to the 10 crew members currently detained aboard the tanker MT Honour 25. The request was raised during high-level talks in London between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, according to a statement shared by the Foreign Office on X.
The vessel, a Palau-flagged product tanker, was seized on April 21 roughly 30 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia’s Puntland region. At the time of the hijacking, 17 crew members were on board, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
Families Demand Urgent Action as Seafarers Remain in Captivity
Relatives of the Pakistani crew have voiced mounting anxiety over the wellbeing of their family members and have urged authorities to step up efforts toward securing their safe return home. Their appeals have added pressure on Islamabad to move quickly on the diplomatic front.
During the London meeting, Dar expressed gratitude to Dominguez for the IMO’s backing of ongoing efforts tied to the Pakistani seafarers release, and pressed for “urgent and effective institutional intervention” to bring the detained crew home without further delay.
The foreign minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s long-standing partnership with the IMO, acknowledging the organisation’s position as the leading global regulator overseeing safe, secure and efficient international shipping. He went on to outline Pakistan’s ongoing work to strengthen maritime governance, adopt international shipping standards, and grow the country’s blue economy.
Piracy Resurfaces Off Somalia’s Coast
Both sides also explored avenues to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and the IMO, spanning maritime safety, security, regulatory reform, and the broader development of the country’s maritime sector.
Piracy off the Somali coastline was rampant through the 2000s, peaking in 2011 when hundreds of incidents were reported in a single year. That threat later eased considerably thanks to international naval patrols and stronger security protocols adopted by commercial shipping companies.
More recently, however, piracy activity has picked up again. A report from the European Union’s naval mission stationed off East Africa recorded three separate attacks in late April, according to data from its Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) unit under Operation Atalanta.
Maritime traffic in the region has also been disrupted since February 28 due to the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, though officials have not indicated any direct connection between that conflict and the hijacking of MT Honour 25.
