LONDON — The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has called for urgent international action to secure the release of 44 seafarers being held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia, warning that their humanitarian situation is deteriorating.
Speaking at the 137th session of the IMO Council in London, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the captives have spent months in the hands of their abductors and are facing severe shortages of food and water, as well as ongoing security threats and violence.
The seafarers were taken hostage aboard three vessels — MT Honour 25, Eureka and Sward — which were hijacked in separate incidents off the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden between April and May this year.
Dominguez said the cases highlight the continuing threat posed by piracy and armed attacks against ships, stressing that the danger has not been eliminated despite years of international counter-piracy efforts.
He urged IMO member states and maritime stakeholders to intensify efforts to secure the safe release of the hostages and protect crews operating in high-risk waters.
The IMO chief also called on shipowners and shipping companies to strengthen security measures by implementing best management practices and conducting comprehensive risk assessments before transiting vulnerable maritime routes.
The appeal comes amid a resurgence of piracy and armed attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
According to the IMO, 24 piracy and armed robbery incidents — including both attempted and successful attacks — were recorded during the past three months, with assailants increasingly using heavy weapons and violence.
The organization said global incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea rose by 17 percent between 2024 and 2025, increasing from 146 cases to 171.
The IMO said it continues to support anti-piracy efforts through the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the Jeddah Amendment, frameworks that bring together 22 countries across the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden to strengthen maritime security cooperation and regional response capabilities.
