Pirates have seized the oil tanker Honour 25 carrying 17 crew members off Somalia’s coast after armed men overran the vessel while it was a few miles offshore en route to Mogadishu, according to security officials speaking to the BBC.


Officials from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region said the vessel was attacked by six armed men when it was approximately 30 nautical miles offshore. The attackers reportedly boarded and took control of the tanker during the incident, though the exact circumstances of how they managed to intercept and seize the ship remain unclear.


The Honour 25 was carrying 18,500 barrels of oil at the time of the hijacking.


It had departed from the port of Berbera in Somaliland on February 20 and later travelled across regional waters. Shipping data cited by officials shows the vessel also spent time near the waters close to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following heightened regional tensions, before circling near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. It later turned back on April 2 and headed toward Somalia’s capital.


At the time of the attack, the tanker had a multinational crew of 17 people, including 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan, and one national from Myanmar. Officials said all crew members are now believed to be under the control of the hijackers.


Following the seizure, the vessel was reportedly anchored close to the Somali shoreline between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla. Security sources also said that five additional armed men later boarded the tanker, suggesting possible coordination or reinforcement from nearby coastal areas.


Authorities believe the attackers may have launched from a remote area near Bander Beyla, although this has not been independently confirmed. It remains unclear how the group was able to successfully intercept and take control of a large commercial oil tanker in open waters.


Neither Somali authorities nor the European Naval Force, which monitors anti-piracy operations in Somali waters, has issued an official statement on the incident.