Merchant ships are under dual attack. First, seafarers and their families are still suffering and remain afraid due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Then the other trauma emerged: pirates from the world-famous piracy hub, Somalia, have raised their heads again. This development shows that the merchant navy has come under dual attack.
While global forces are busy resolving the shipping crisis, and especially the oil supply issue through the Strait of Hormuz, Somali pirates have taken advantage of the situation and restarted hijacking ships for ransom. As a result, both main hubs of sea traffic are disrupted again, and the world may face a deeper crisis of oil supply and shortages.
Somali pirates attacked M.T. Honour 25 on April 21, 2026. There were 11 Pakistani nationals onboard this ship along with an Indonesian captain. A few years ago, the IMO ruled out Somali piracy and no longer considered this area a High Risk Area (HRA). All previous allowances and extra precautions for transiting this area were suspended, and this region was treated as a normal sea passage like any other. But this attack has again caused panic in the shipping industry.
Seafarers are still afraid to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, and now Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen are no longer in the safe zone. If the situation at sea remains out of control, piracy may get stronger in other African countries as well.
A few days ago, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, expressed concern for 20,000 seafarers in the Persian Gulf and is advancing a maritime evacuation framework built on coastal state cooperation. Yet another threat has now affected the industry.
I suggest that these problems be resolved by connecting all stakeholders of the industry and concerned states with immediate effect. For the time being, incentives for onboard crew members should also be increased to ensure the uninterrupted movement of the shipping industry. International pressure must always be built to ensure safe passage for seafarers.
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Until now, the Government of Pakistan has shown good efforts for peacekeeping, but no concrete steps have been taken to release Pakistani seamen from Somali pirates, which is the need of the hour. Previously, a few similar incidents occurred in Somalia involving the kidnapping of ships with Pakistani seamen onboard. Ansar Burney and former Governor of Sindh Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad negotiated with the pirates and paid extortion money, which is against international law. The government should take strong decisions to avoid these incidents in the near future.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry is popular as a workaholic minister, but a lot of effort is still required to build a strong shipping network in the country. If global problems and Somali piracy issues are not resolved, most seafarers may lose their jobs, and perhaps their lives as well.
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