RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has successfully facilitated the repatriation of an Indonesian crew member (ABK) who had been held hostage in Somali waters. The crewman had been working aboard the Chinese-flagged vessel Liao Dong Yu 578, which was hijacked by pirates.

The ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said that the ministry, through the Directorate for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens (PWNI) and the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, has handled the hijacking of the Chinese-flagged Liao Dong Yu in Somali waters. 

"On January 15, one Indonesian crew member was repatriated and has since safely returned to his hometown,” said Yvonne, speaking after a bilateral meeting between Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister and his Slovak counterpart on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the Pancasila Building in Jakarta.

Yvonne noted that five other Indonesian crew members remain held hostage aboard the same vessel. The Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi is continuing intensive coordination with local authorities to ensure their safety.

The Liao Dong Yu 578 was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Bandarbeyla, Puntland, Somalia, on December 31, 2025. Several Indonesian nationals were among those taken hostage.

This incident follows a similar case of piracy in African waters that also involved Indonesian crew members. In Ekwata, Gabon, four Indonesians were reported kidnapped from the fishing vessel Liang Peng Yu 828, where they were employed.

“The Ministry has received information that on January 11, 2026, the fishing vessel IB FISH 7 (Liang Peng Yu 828) was hijacked in Ekwata waters, Gabon,” Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heni Hamidah, said in a written statement on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

“The hijackers abducted nine of the vessel’s twelve crew members, four of whom are Indonesian nationals,” she explained.

Heni added that, based on available information, three other crew members, including two Indonesians, remained on board and were unharmed. “The three crew members, including two Indonesians, are safe and still aboard the vessel,” she said.

The Gabonese Navy has since launched operations to pursue the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the three surviving crew members have been escorted by naval forces to Libreville, Gabon’s capital. (Diffa Sephiwardhani/Sri Wahyuni)