On April 25, the Honour 25 oil tanker was hijacked by pirates while en route from the Persian Gulf to Somalia, according to information from international media quoted by Caliber. Az.
The incident occurred about 50km off the coast of Somalia, in the area between the two cities of Berbera and Mogadishu - which is considered a high-risk maritime route for security in East Africa.
According to sources, the Honour 25 ship carries about 18,500 tons of fuel and has a total of 17 crew members. The crew includes citizens from many Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The UK Maritime Trade Coordination Center (UKMTO) has confirmed the ship robbery and immediately issued a warning to ships operating in the area, advising them to raise their vigilance when moving through the waters off Somalia.
According to UKMTO, after taking control, the pirate group dragged the ship about 77 nautical miles (equivalent to 143km) south, bringing the ship into Somalia's territorial waters. There is currently no official information about the status of the crew members as well as demands from the pirate group.
Experts believe that the incident may mark a worrying return of piracy in the Somali region, which has declined sharply since 2011 thanks to patrol operations and intervention by the international coalition.
Over the past decade, coordinated activities between navies of many countries have significantly helped control piracy in the Horn of Africa region. However, recent economic and security fluctuations may be creating conditions for pirate groups to reorganize and resume operations.
This incident raises concerns about maritime safety on important energy transport routes connecting the Middle East with Africa and other regions. International authorities are forecast to strengthen surveillance and may deploy further measures to ensure security in the region.
