PNS Zulfiqar Enters in Pakistan Territory: Captain Wasi Hassan and Other Hostages of MV Suez Vessel to Reach Pakistan Today

Hostages of MV Suez Vessel to Reach Pakistan Today

The 22-member crew of MV Suez vessel hijacked by Somali pirates back in 02 August last year is expected to reach Pakistan today (Thursday/June 23). The hapless and disastrous voyage of the crew is finally coming to an end as PNS Zulfiqar is scheduled to tie up at the Karachi Port today, bringing the four Pakistanis back to their homeland.



The 22 members of the crew, includes Captain Wasi Hasan, Ali Rehman, Syed Alam and Mohammad Muzammil from Pakistan as well as 11 Egyptians, six Indians and a Sri Lankan, will be hosted by Pakistan after being hostage by Somali Pirates for almost 10 months.

Nationals from Egypt, India and Sri Lanka will be handed over to their respective embassies for their ultimate return to their own homelands. 

The ransom of $2.1 million was paid to pirates to get the hostages released last Monday (June 13). The vessel was however attacked again by pirates soon after their release; but it was successfully countered by the crew of the MV Suez vessel. 

Pakistan Navy, therefore, had to come into action to assure the safe return of the 10-month-long hostages to their respective homelands. But the bad luck was continuously following the crew and the vessel as it got some technical problem before it reached its destination of the Salalah port in Oman. 

Captain Wasi Hassan contacted the owner of the company and asked them to send tug-boat. The tug-boat was sent but it couldn’t last long and faulted itself to hang in between the sea with MV Suez vessel. Second tug-boat was not sent by the company; therefore, the Captain on behalf of crew had to request to Pakistan Naval Chief to allow them to leave the vessel and to board PNS Babar as it was feared that the vessel will be sunk. The crew was later shifted to PNS Zulfiqar which was specially sent to get the MV Suez Crew back to Pakistan.

MV Suez Sinking After Being Abandoned by Crew Members

The crew was allowed to shift to PNS Babar and MV Suez vessel was reported sunk afterwards. According to Khaleej Times the officials in Oman has confirmed that MV Suez has sunk after being released by Somlai pirates.

“I can confirm that the MV Suez sank in 4,900 metres of water, which means that it poses no threat to shipping or navigation in the area” a Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs officials told the state-owned ŒOman Daily Observer’.