Regional maritime security states have issued an urgent appeal for international action as conditions deteriorate aboard the Palau-flagged tanker Honour 25, whose 17 crew have been held captive for more than two months.
The vessel was hijacked on April 24 and remains under pirate control. According to the latest communication from the master, all crew members are alive, but five, including the master, are suffering from health problems. Food has reportedly been reduced to rice, while available water is unsafe to drink.
The chair of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment, speaking on behalf of signatory states, said the humanitarian situation had reached a critical stage and warned that further delay would increase risks to the lives and wellbeing of those onboard.
The statement also raised concern for the crews of the Sward and Eureka, who continue to be held captive in similar conditions.
The latest report from Honour 25 suggests the crew are now caught between competing armed groups. Pirates guarding the vessel reportedly exchanged gunfire with a rival pirate faction that attempted to approach the ship, exposing the seafarers to immediate and unpredictable danger.
The chair called on the federal government of Somalia, the flag state, shipowner, insurers, humanitarian organisations, regional partners and the wider international community to intensify diplomatic, operational and legal efforts to secure the crews’ immediate release.
The statement praised the IMO secretary-general for keeping the plight of the seafarers on the international agenda, and also commended Pakistan’s High Commission in London for engagement with flag state authorities, humanitarian partners and international organisations.
The incidents underline the resurgence of piracy in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden with Splash reporting on two more attacks yesterday.
