Product Tanker Honour 25 Hijacked off Somalia, Carrying Gasoline Cargo Bound for Mogadishu

The Palau-registered product tanker Honour 25 was hijacked on April 21 and confirmed seized by EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta on April 27. The vessel is believed to be carrying a cargo of gasoline and has been moved deep into Somali territorial waters.

The 3,000 DWT tanker, owned by Pakistani interests, was reported by UKMTO at a position 45 nautical miles from Mareeyo before being moved approximately 77 nautical miles south into Somali territorial waters. The vessel was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil destined for Mogadishu at the time of the seizure. All 17 crew members are reported unharmed.

The six-day gap between the hijacking on April 21 and EUNAVFOR's confirmation on April 27 suggests the seizure went unreported for nearly a week before being formally confirmed by the multinational naval force.

The hijacking of Honour 25 coincides with the confirmed seizure of the general cargo ship Sward northeast of Garacad on April 26, indicating a renewed pattern of piracy operations off the Somali coast.

EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta and the Puntland Maritime Police Force have been notified. No further details on pirate demands or crew conditions have been confirmed.