Honour 25 Day 10: Pakistani and Indonesian Families Plead for International Action as 17 Crew Remain Held Off Puntland

On May 5, 2026, families of the 17 multinational crew members held aboard the hijacked Palau-flagged fuel tanker Honour 25 publicly appealed for urgent government intervention, as the hostage crisis entered its 10th day. Al Jazeera ran a feature on the 10 Pakistani sailors' families — including the captain's family — describing deteriorating conditions: crew members have been able to make sporadic satellite phone calls confirming their safety, but families describe extreme anxiety, financial strain, and frustration at what they characterize as insufficient government response. 'What comes next?' one family member asked. In Indonesia, lawmakers and diplomats amplified calls for the Jakarta government to escalate diplomatic pressure on Somalia's federal government to secure the release of the four Indonesian crew members. House Commission I member Yudha Novanza Utama called for 'decisive international cooperation.' Pakistan's foreign ministry has formally raised the case with the Somali government in Mogadishu, which pledged cooperation but has limited capacity to mount a rescue operation. The Honour 25 — which carries 18,500 barrels of fuel oil and was en route from Berbera (Somaliland) to Mogadishu when seized approximately 30 nautical miles offshore between Hafun and Bandarbeyla on April 25 — remains anchored off the Puntland coast under pirate control. EU NAVFOR Atalanta and Combined Task Force 151 assets are in the vicinity. The crisis is the most significant hostage situation involving international seafarers in Somali waters since 2017. The 17-person crew includes 10 Pakistanis, 4 Indonesians, 1 Indian, 1 Sri Lankan, and 1 Myanmar national.