Puntland forces free hijacked Palau-flagged tanker and capture pirates

Puntland’s maritime security units freed the Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25, which pirates had captured on April 21 roughly 30 nautical miles from the Puntland shoreline. The vessel, carrying petroleum products, had a crew of 17, ten of whom were Pakistani nationals, all of whom were released unharmed. The pirates were apprehended and are to face trial, according to the regional state television broadcast.

This rescue comes days after Puntland’s maritime police liberated the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, also hijacked by Somali pirates. Officials did not provide additional comment. The incidents highlight a resurgence of piracy off Somalia’s coast, raising fresh concerns for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, regions previously plagued by a wave of attacks from 2008-2014 that cost the global economy billions.