MOGADISHU, Somalia—The maritime force for Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region has seized control of two separate hijacked oil tankers, Puntland security sources tell Drop Site News.
Honour 25, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in late April was initially carrying 18,500 barrels of oil (worth an estimated $1.7 million), while MT Eureka seized in May was initially carrying 20,400 barrels of diesel (worth an estimated $4.3 million).
The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF)—created in 2013 with funding from the United Arab Emirates and trained by private South African security firm Saransor—is tasked with maritime security and anti-piracy operations in Somali territorial waters that fall under Puntland’s jurisdiction.
A statement released today by the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) stated that, when it regained “control” of Honour 25, five members of the crew had been killed—deaths they attributed to pirates—and four wounded during the operation. The rest of the crew was rescued safely.
Multiple Puntland security officials interviewed today by Drop Site in the hours following the rescue of Honour 25 say the decision to carry out ‘attacks’ on the hijacked vessels was made on September 9th, when following weeks of surveillance, Puntland security officials had confirmed that pirates on-board Honour 25 and MT Eureka had been offloading barrels of oil and diesel from the hijacked vessels to shore.
“The pirates had been loading the barrels (of fuel) on to small boats, then transporting them to shore,” a Puntland security official told Drop Site.
“Once they moved the barrels (of fuel) to shore, their on-land criminal network would take the barrels and sell them on the black market to local fuel importers,” a second Puntland official confirmed.
When asked for insight into the local fuel importers receiving the hijacked barrels of fuel from the pirates on both ships, the Puntland security officials declined to further comment, citing sensitivities around the ongoing investigation. “They where trying to make two profits. Sell the fuel worth millions, and also get a ransom for the hijacked ships and their crew,” a third Puntland security official told Drop Site.
READ MORE: Somali Pirates Demand $10M Ransom for Oil Tanker Owned by Emirati Company
Drones belonging to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) provided extensive surveillance ahead of the operation, officials said. EUNAVFOR is tasked with anti-piracy operations in Somali territorial waters and had been carrying out regular reconnaissance missions on both hijacked oil tankers.
Earlier on Tuesday, Puntland carried out the operation as it anchored near the fishing settlement of Dbarin-baar using assets both in the air and at sea, with Puntland officials declining to go into further detail due to what they deemed as “operational security.”
Puntland security officials tell us during the raid on Honour 25, 15 pirates were captured, including an English-speaking translator who was leading negotiations on the hijacked oil tanker. “When our men (troops) boarded the ship, the interpreter didn’t resist because he was unarmed,” a second Puntland security tells Drop Site.
“The bullet-riddled bodies of 5 foreign nationals was also on the ship (oil tanker),” the second Puntland security official added. They were from Pakistan, Burma, and India.
Once the raid on Honour 25 was underway, officials said, pirates on board MT Eureka began setting the oil tanker on fire, then set off on small boats, with the crew to shore.
These boats were anchored near MT Eureka and used by the pirates to move both gunmen and supplies to and from shore, Puntland security officials said. “After they set the ship (MT Eureka) ablaze, they took the crew at gunpoint onto small boats and made their way to the fishing settlement of Hol-Caanood,” a Puntland security official tells Drop Site.
MT Eureka, had 12 hostages on board, hailing from Egypt and India. “When the pirates made it to Hol-Caanood, they handed over the crew to local residents and continued fleeing,” the Puntland security official says.
All three Puntland security officials interviewed by Drop Site news say around 30 gunmen (pirates) made it back to shore with their weapons and are currently being pursued by the authorities.
Honour 25 is owned by a Somali businessman and MT Eureka is owned by a UAE-based company called Royal Shipping Lines Inc. These latest incidents come just a week after Puntland state freed Sibu-1, a U.S.-sanctioned oil tanker with ties to Iran, in an operation off the coast of Somalia. That operation came under intense scrutiny within the security apparatus of Puntland after 28 captured pirates escaped during an armed police custody the following day.
One hijacked vessel, MT Asana, remains in the hands of pirates.
