Four Indonesian seamen return home after five months held by Somali pirates

Four Indonesian seamen returned home to Jakarta on Tuesday after more than five months as hostages of Somali pirates aboard an oil tanker, an AFP reporter saw.

The men were among 17 crew rescued a week ago when Puntland maritime police stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25, hijacked in April.

Who rescued the Indonesian seamen from Somali pirates?

Maritime police from Puntland, the semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia, stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker a week ago and rescued 17 crew.

Sixteen pirates were detained, while others "fled towards the shore and moved inland", police said. The tanker had 18,500 barrels of oil on board.

How many crew were killed by the pirates?

Before the vessel could be recaptured, the pirates had already killed five crew members: three Pakistanis, an Indian and a Myanmar national, according to a Puntland police statement.

How were the Indonesian seamen welcomed home?

The four Indonesians were received at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by their families and officials, including Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir. In a welcome ceremony, Arrmanatha thanked the ship's Indonesian skipper, Ashari Samadikun, for helping keep the surviving crew safe during the rescue.

"I would also like to thank the families for their patience... because it is not easy to wait for news, not knowing the fate of their children, their husband on board the ship," the minister said.

Ashari expressed regret for the deaths of the five crew members. "I sincerely apologise to the families of my five deceased crew members. I couldn't keep my promise to bring all my crew members back safely," he said through tears.

Are there still Somali pirates in 2026?

Somali piracy has seen a resurgence, with at least 15 attacks since April, the highest number since 2013. Puntland police have faced criticism for failing to act against a new pirate network that has been highly active in the region this year.

Days before the Honour 25 rescue, police rescued another oil tanker, the Sibu 1. Several pirates arrested in that operation escaped while being transferred to jail.

Puntland police also responded recently to the hijacking of the MT Eureka, forcing pirates to run the vessel aground before abandoning it and disembarking the crew. All crew were later "confirmed safe", according to the police, while the pirates fled ashore.