Concerns raised at IMO level about “grave humanitarian situation” aboard hijacked vessel in Somalia

IMO’s regional piracy initiative the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA), on behalf of its  22 Signatory States, last week expressed id profound concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation aboard the Republic of Palau-flagged tanker MT Honour 25 (IMO 9109735), whose seventeen (17) crew members have now endured more than two months in captivity following the vessel's hijacking on 24 April 2026.

The Chair is equally concerned for the crews of the Sward (IMO 9174244) and MV Eureka (IMO 1022823), who continue to be held captive under similarly difficult circumstances. Their continued detention reinforces the urgent need for sustained international efforts to secure the release of all seafarers currently held hostage in the region.

Against this backdrop, the latest direct communication from the Master of MT Honour 25 presents an alarming picture of the conditions facing the crew. While all 17 crew members remain alive, five crew members, including the Master, are now suffering from health problems. Food supplies have reportedly been reduced to rice alone, while the available water is unsafe for drinking. Even more disturbing are reports that armed pirates guarding the vessel recently exchanged gunfire with a rival pirate group that attempted to approach the ship, leaving the crew trapped between competing armed factions and exposed to an immediate and unpredictable threat to their lives.

The Master's heartfelt appeal to the international community to "help us" and to “ensure that those responsible take urgent action to secure the crew's release” is a stark reminder that behind every piracy incident are innocent seafarers enduring fear, deprivation, uncertainty and prolonged psychological trauma.

The DCoC/JA Chair has therefore called for urgent, coordinated and decisive international intervention to secure the immediate, safe and unconditional release of the crews the three incidents. The humanitarian situation has now reached a critical stage, and any further delay significantly increases the risks to the lives, health and wellbeing of those being held hostage.

Accordingly, Signatory States are calling upon all parties capable of influencing the situation—including the Federal Government of Somalia, the flag State, the shipowner, insurers, humanitarian organizations, regional partners, and the wider international community—to intensify every available diplomatic, operational, humanitarian and legal effort to bring this crisis to a swift conclusion.