Three months have gone by and there has been no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages.
Since its hijack, the crew has made several emotional videos and audio appeals, while reporting that they have run out of clean water, food and medicine.
“We are pleading with the government to intervene and compel our company to take responsibility for its crew. We are facing immense difficulties just to stay alive, and to this day, we have seen no progress. The company has provided absolutely zero assistance in terms of food or medicine. We humbly ask for the prayers of all the Indonesian people,” the captain’s message said.
As is widely known by now, the ship — besides seven Indonesians — also has 10 Pakistani crew members, as well as an Indian and a Sri Lankan.
“We don’t even have clean water to drink; we only have yellowish water to drink from our ship’s tank. We are given plain boiled rice to eat once every 24 hours,” said Pakistani crew member, Oiler Yasir Khan, through a recorded video message dated June 1, 2026.
Khan appeals to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, President Asif Zardari, and “any other relevant authorities” to “please help us or we won’t be able to survive here”.
“We only have our government to look up to. Therefore, we ask you to please do something for us so we can go back home and reunite with our families,” he said in the message.
These video messages are some of the last communications from the hostages.
Question of ownership
The agency responsible for hiring them, as known to the Pakistani crew, is called Purser Shipping Consultancy (SMC Pvt Limited / Helmsman Shipping Company, North Nazimabad, Karachi). From there, they know an ‘Osman’, but it was revealed later that he may only be a middleman who hired them.
In another video message this time in English Captain Ashari Samadikun has a book in his hands, showing the name of the ship’s official owners: Wharf Chartering Co of Dubai, who are not interested in talking to the pirates.
“This book mentions the ship owner company. There is no mention of anyone named Osman. He must be a middleman only,” he pointed out.
Source: Dawn
