Four Indonesian crew from the MT Honour 25 arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday after Puntland police freed 17 sailors. Pirates killed five crew before the recapture, police said.
Four Indonesian seamen who had been held by Somali pirates for more than five months arrived at Soekarno-Hatta airport on Tuesday. They were among 17 crew freed about a week earlier when Puntland maritime police stormed the Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25, hijacked in April.
Before the recapture, the pirates killed five crew members, three Pakistanis, an Indian and a Myanmar national, a Puntland police statement said, according to AFP. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir was among officials who met the four Indonesians.
Tempo named them as Captain Ashari Samadikun of Gowa, Second Officer Adi Faizal of Bulukumba, Chief Officer Wahudinanto of Pemalang, and Fiki Mutakin of Bogor. It said the ship was hijacked on 22 April 2026 off Hafun in northeastern Somalia, and that the Indonesian embassies in Nairobi and Islamabad and the consulate in Karachi were involved in the return.
Coordinating Minister Sugiono said the repatriation showed the government's commitment to citizens in difficulty abroad and that the four would receive medical care. The killing of five crew was not revised in the accounts reviewed on Tuesday.
No prosecution update from Somalia was included with the arrival reports. The next step described by the Indonesian minister is medical care for the returned crew.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Sugiono said the government would ensure the four crew members receive medical care.