Mogadishu (WDN) – A disturbing new video released by the crew of the hijacked tanker MT Honour 25 has laid bare the worsening humanitarian crisis aboard the vessel, where sailors have now spent nearly two months in captivity at the hands of Somali pirates. The emotional appeal has renewed international attention on a piracy threat that many believed had largely disappeared from Somali waters, but which now appears to be making an alarming comeback.

The vessel, carrying a crew of 17, including 10 Pakistani nationals, was seized by armed pirates on April 21 near the coast of Puntland. Since then, the hostages have remained trapped aboard the ship while negotiations over their release drag on with no breakthrough in sight. In the newly released footage, the ship’s Second Officer, Syed Kashif Umar, described the deteriorating conditions facing the crew. “We have been held by pirates for 57 days,” he said, appealing directly to the Pakistani government for urgent intervention.

According to Umar, food supplies aboard the vessel are running dangerously low, several crew members have fallen ill, and morale among the hostages continues to deteriorate as uncertainty over their fate grows. The most troubling, he claimed is that the vessel owners have shown little willingness to engage directly with the kidnappers, raising fears that the standoff could continue indefinitely while conditions aboard the ship worsen.

The vessel’s Indonesian captain also issued an appeal, urging his government to intensify efforts to secure the release of the multinational crew before the situation deteriorates further. Diplomatic sources indicate that the tanker remains anchored off the Somali coast while negotiations continue behind the scenes.

According to reports, Somali authorities have been attempting to facilitate communication with the pirate group through intermediaries connected to the vessel’s ownership. The pirates initially demanded a ransom of $10 million, a figure that was later reduced to $4 million in an apparent effort to accelerate negotiations.

Despite the significant reduction, no agreement has yet been reached, leaving the fate of the hostages hanging in the balance. As the standoff enters its third month, families of the crew members are expressing growing desperation and frustration over what they perceive as a lack of progress.

A Troubling Return of Somali Piracy

The hijacking of MT Honour 25 comes amid mounting concerns that Somali piracy is re-emerging after years of relative decline.

For more than a decade, international naval patrols, private maritime security teams, and coordinated anti-piracy operations dramatically reduced attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. However, recent incidents suggest that criminal networks operating along Somalia’s coastline may once again be testing international resolve.

In recent days alone, armed groups launched separate attacks against two commercial vessels navigating strategic shipping routes near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. On June 15, the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Greta Star came under attack while transiting waters south of Yemen.

According to maritime security firm Vanguard Tech, armed men aboard a small boat approached the vessel and opened fire in what appeared to be an attempted hijacking. The crew responded by increasing speed and implementing emergency anti-piracy procedures, successfully preventing the attackers from boarding the ship. No injuries or damage were reported.

In a separate incident, another cargo vessel sailing under the flag of Palau was attacked approximately 32 nautical miles south of Hafun in Somalia’s Bari region. Maritime security company Ambrey reported that two skiffs carrying roughly a dozen armed men approached the vessel and ordered it to stop. The ship’s private security team responded with armed resistance, triggering an exchange of gunfire that lasted nearly thirty minutes before the attackers were forced to retreat.

The vessel escaped unharmed. The attacks have triggered renewed concern among international shipping operators and maritime security agencies.

The Gulf of Aden remains one of the world’s most important commercial waterways, serving as a critical link between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Any resurgence of piracy in the region threatens not only individual vessels and crews but also global trade routes that carry billions of dollars’ worth of goods annually.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center has confirmed that it is investigating both incidents and has advised ships operating in the area to maintain heightened vigilance and immediately report any suspicious activity. For many observers, the plight of the MT Honour 25 crew represents more than an isolated hostage crisis. It is increasingly being viewed as a warning sign that the conditions which once allowed Somali piracy to flourish may be re-emerging.

With armed groups once again targeting commercial vessels and hostage negotiations dragging on for weeks, maritime security experts warn that the international community cannot afford to ignore the threat. Meanwhile, aboard the MT Honour 25, 17 sailors continue to wait for a resolution, trapped between ransom negotiations, deteriorating living conditions, and an uncertain future. For their families, every passing day raises the same question: how much longer can they endure captivity before help finally arrives?

WardheerNews