ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday announced the successful rescue of three remaining Pakistani crew members aboard hijacked tanker MT Honour 25.
The rescued sailors are Imran Ali, Muhammad Yasin and Syed Husain Yousuf.
A team from Pakistan’s Embassy in Djibouti accompanied the sailors to Addis Ababa.
Dar said officials would receive the crew members in Addis Ababa. They are expected to travel to Karachi on the first available Ethiopian Airlines flight on October 7.
Dar Thanks Somalia, EU Naval Force
Dar thanked the Government of Somalia and the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta for helping secure the crew’s release.
He said Pakistan would continue working with other countries to combat maritime piracy.
Pakistan also remains committed to protecting international maritime routes, Dar added.
The rescue came a day after four injured Pakistani sailors and the remains of three others reached Karachi.
Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi and provincial ministers Saeed Ghani and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah received the returning crew members and remains at Jinnah International Airport.
The injured sailors were Usman Ghani, Aqeel Khan, Ameen bin Shams and Yasir Khan.
The flight also carried the remains of Rafiullah Khan, Syed Kashif Umer and Mahmood Ahmad Ansari.
The sailors arrived in Karachi aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 694.
Three Pakistanis Remained Aboard Tanker
On October 2, Dar said three Pakistani crew members remained aboard MT Honour 25 along with the ship’s captain.
He identified the remaining sailors as Imran Ali, Yasin Muhammad and Syed Yousuf Hussain.
At the time, authorities were working to secure their safe return.
The Palau-flagged petroleum products tanker had 17 crew members on board, including 10 Pakistani nationals.
Somali pirates seized the vessel on April 21, around 30 nautical miles off the coast of Puntland.
Puntland authorities later launched a rescue operation. The operation freed the tanker and led to the capture of 16 pirates.
However, five crew members died before the operation began.
The victims included three Pakistani sailors, one Indian national and one Myanmar national.
Four other crew members suffered injuries in the incident.
With the rescue of the three remaining Pakistanis, all surviving Pakistani crew members can now begin their journey home.
