MANDALIKA THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE – Efforts to free four Indonesian crew members (ABK) of the MT Honor 25 ship who were detained by pirates in Somalia are still being carried out by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related parties. Previously, information regarding the taking of Indonesian citizens hostage circulated on social media, showing an Indonesian citizen asking the Indonesian government to free him from the pirates.
“Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi and the Honorary Consul (Konhor) of Somalia, is still continuing to intensively work together to develop the situation of the Indonesian crew members in question. The team is coordinating with all related parties, including companies and local authorities,” said the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s Director of Protection for Indonesian Citizens, Heni Hamidah in a written message to RRI, Monday, June 1 2026.
Heni revealed that based on the latest information, the negotiation process is still ongoing. He said that until now there had been no official confirmation regarding information regarding the ransom amount requested by the pirates.
On the other hand, Heni ensured that the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with related parties would continue to maintain the condition of Indonesian crew members. Although there are technical challenges related to the ship’s position which is far from its reach.
“The condition of the crew is also continuously monitored, including health aspects and the availability of logistics on board. There are technical challenges related to providing them because the ship’s position is far from reachable,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant Indonesian Representatives continue to strive for the best protection and treatment for Indonesian citizens. Hopefully we will provide further developments if the information has been verified.
Previously, the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi continued to carry out intensive coordination with various parties in Somalia following the hijacking of the MT Honor 25 ship in Hafun waters on April 22 2026. The ship was manned by 15 people, including four Indonesian citizens, as well as crew from Pakistan, India and Myanmar.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that currently there are around 321 Indonesian crew members registered, consisting of 81 fishing boat crews, 188 commercial ship crew members and 44 fishing boat crew members. This data is still being updated through coordination with relevant agencies ***
