Somali pirates killed five crew members on hijacked tanker, officials say

The deaths appear to be the first at the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade.By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 30 Sep 202630 Sep 2026Pirates have killed five crew members on board a Palau-flagged oil tanker off the coast of Somalia before security forces rescued the ship, according to Somali authorities.The deaths on the tanker, the MT Honour 25, were announced on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gunmen seize tanker off Yemen amid resurgence of Somali piracylist 2 of 3Turkiye, Somalia forces free cargo vessel hijacked by pirateslist 3 of 3Why is piracy picking up off Somalia’s coast again?end of listThey appear to be the first deaths at ⁠the hands of Somali pirates in more than a decade and come amid a resurgence of Somali piracy that experts have attributed in part to the effects of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.The MT Honour 25, which authorities said was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, was seized by pirates off Somalia on April 21.The Information Ministry of Puntland, a semiautonomous region of Somalia, said in a statement that a rescue mission had freed the ship and captured 16 suspected pirates.“Before the operation be...