Pakistan Seeks IMO’s Urgent Intervention to Secure Release of Held Seafarers

Pakistan – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Pakistan has asked the International Maritime Organisation for urgent help in freeing ten Pakistani seafarers held captive off Somalia’s coast. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar raised the matter directly with IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez during talks in London.

The men are among 17 sailors aboard the MT Honour 25, a tanker flying the Palau flag. Armed men seized the vessel on April 21, roughly 30 nautical miles off Somalia’s Puntland coast. Since then, families back home have waited anxiously for news, many of them growing more worried by the day.

Dar told Dominguez the situation needed urgent and effective action from the world body. He thanked the IMO for its continued support and reaffirmed Pakistan’s long-standing ties with the organisation, calling it the leading authority on safe global shipping.

The two leaders also spoke about broader maritime cooperation. They touched on regulatory reforms, safety standards, and Pakistan’s plans to grow its blue economy in the years ahead.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, met Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), today in London. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to the IMO and appreciated its… pic.twitter.com/9W66VUIF2l

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 24, 2026

This hijacking comes at a sensitive time. Piracy off Somalia had dropped sharply after naval patrols and tighter shipping security measures took hold following the peak years around 2011. But recent months have seen a worrying uptick. The EU’s Operation Atalanta recorded three separate attacks in the region in late April alone.

Adding to the tension, shipping traffic near the Iranian coast has already been disrupted since late February due to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. Officials have not linked that conflict to the Honour 25 seizure, but the timing has raised fresh concerns about maritime security across the wider region.

For now, families of the Pakistani crew are left waiting, hoping diplomatic pressure translates into real results soon.