Senate panel questions delay in compensation for seafarers' families

A Senate committee on Tuesday pressed officials over delays in compensation to the families of Pakistani seafarers caught in a hostage-taking off Somalia, after being told that three of the sailors died during an operation by authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region that Islamabad was not consulted on.

The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, sought explanations for the delay in the crew's release, the repatriation of a deceased seafarer's body and the payments, Dawn reported. According to Minute Mirror, members questioned the length of the negotiations, the timing of diplomatic interventions and why Somalia's ambassador had not been summoned earlier, and asked officials to explain inconsistencies in the reported casualty and repatriation figures.

A government report presented to the committee said the tanker MT Honour 25 was hijacked off Somalia on 21 April 2026. It was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil and 17 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians and one sailor each from Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar. The vessel was registered in Palau and had an Indonesian captain.

The pirates demanded about $3 million for the crew's release, and the shipowner held three rounds of negotiations, according to the report. Pakistan declined to pay, citing its policy against financing piracy, and instead pursued diplomatic contacts, local tribal negotiations and insurance arrangements. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs sought diplomatic assistance on 24 April, and the embassy in Djibouti and senior officials engaged Somali representatives and the shipowner.

By 3 July the crew had been held for 73 days. Later meetings recommended escalating the matter, including through contacts with senior Somali officials and the International Maritime Organisation. Puntland's regional maritime police, backed by naval and ground forces, announced the tanker's recovery on 29 September, and the report recorded five crew deaths, three of them Pakistani. Pakistan's mission in Djibouti helped arrange the return of the surviving sailors, the injured and the dead.

On compensation, officials said the shipowner had accepted liability for contractual death benefits estimated at $60,000 per person, but that payments could take five to six months while discussions continued with the manning agency and insurance representatives.

Committee members sought verification of a reported Rs1.25 million assistance announcement by the prime minister and demanded details of medical expenses, unpaid salaries and support for survivors. They directed officials to submit salary records for the 10 Pakistani sailors from April to September along with compensation and medical payment details, questioned conflicting accounts of protests by families in Karachi, and asked that the families be treated respectfully. A detailed follow-up report was sought at the committee's next meeting.