Family in Kolkata gets call from sailor captured by Somali pirates

Kolkata: A resident of Kolkata is among the 17 sailors being held aboard an oil tanker hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast more than a month ago. Tanviruzzaman (36), who works as a chef on the oil tanker Honour 25, has been in captivity since the vessel was seized by armed pirates near the Somali coast on April 22. He is a resident of Ekbalpore. While the shipping company continues efforts to secure the release of the crew, his family in Kolkata is anxiously awaiting news, with little information about his condition or when he might return home. The pirates have allowed Tanviruzzaman to speak to his family three times since the hijacking. Those brief conversations have offered reassurance that he is alive, but have also heightened concerns about the situation aboard the vessel. "My husband said they were running out of food, water and medical supplies on the ship. The pirates want the company to pay a ransom," said Mehraj Khatoon, Tanvir's wife. The family says it has been struggling to get information on his well-being and efforts being made for rescue since learning of the hijacking. According to Khatoon, they have contacted the company operating the vessel but have not received detailed updates. "The company told us negotiations are going on. We do not know anything beyond that. We do not even know whom to approach for help," said Khatoon. Tanviruzzaman has worked as a seafarer since 2021. His father, Nuruzzaman, was also a seafarer, and family members say he followed the same profession in search of better opportunities. Last year, he married Khatoon before leaving on what was expected to be a routine assignment at sea. Instead, the young couple now finds itself separated by a crisis unfolding thousands of kilometres away. The Honour 25 was overrun by six gunmen while sailing about 30 nautical miles off the Somali coast. The tanker, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil and bound for Mogadishu, the Somali capital, is currently anchored near the Somali shoreline between the fishing towns of Xaafun and Bander Beyla. The vessel's crew comprises 10 Pakistanis, four Indonesians, one Indian, one Sri Lankan and one crew member from Myanmar. No injuries among the crew have been reported so far. However, the prolonged captivity and reports of dwindling supplies have alarmed the Iqbalpur family waiting for the safe return of their son. At their home in Iqbalpur, Tanviruzzaman's family spends its days hoping for another phone call and for progress in the negotiations. With little information available and no clear avenue for assistance, they say the uncertainty has become increasingly difficult to bear. "We are worried all the time," said Khatoon. "We just want him to come back home safely."