Jakarta. Indonesia is doing the best it can to free its nationals held hostage by Somali pirates as talks continue, according to a senior government official.

Armed Somali pirates hijacked MT Honour 25, a Palau-flagged product tanker, near the Somali coast on April 21. The vessel had 17 crew members on board, four of them Indonesians. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl A Mulachela told the press on Monday that efforts to save the hostages are already in full swing.

“Negotiations between the local government, crew management, stakeholders, and the parties in Somalia remain underway. We do hope that this process can reach completion in the not-too-distant future,” Nabyl said.

The Indonesian government has assured the family members that Jakarta is putting “its best effort to protect citizens overseas”. Nabyl went on to say that the trapped Indonesian seamen are in good health, while adding that their logistics needs are met. 

“Their salaries are also being paid,” the diplomat said.

The vessel, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, was en route to the Somali capital of Mogadishu, news agency BBC wrote. The hijacking is feared to further worsen fuel shortages triggered by the Iran war as Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz -- a major oil shipping lane -- persists. 

There were also 10 Pakistani crewmen aboard the MT Honour 25, as well as one each from Sri Lanka, India, and Myanmar. Families of the Indonesian sailors have urged the government to take immediate action.

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