Tanker targeted in suspected pirate attack off Somalia

However, the BBC has quoted "multiple security officials" as saying that five armed individuals boarded the tanker while it was approximately 30 nautical miles offshore on Wednesday, April 22.

The officials said that the ship was successfully commandeered by the hijackers despite having armed guards on board and that it later sailed towards an anchorage just off the Somali towns of Hafun and Bandarbeyla.

Honour 25's 17-strong crew at the time of the hijacking included Burmese, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian and Sri Lankan nationals while the ship's cargo consisted of 18,500 barrels of crude, the officials added.