Eight Egyptians held captive by pirates off Somalia freed after months-long ordeal

Eight Egyptian sailors, crew members of the tanker MT Eureka, have been released after being held captive by pirates off Somalia for several months, according to a statement from Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty's office. The seizure occurred in early May off the Puntland region of Somalia, where the vessel remained anchored after being hijacked by armed pirates.

Egyptian officials, including the ministry's spokesman Nader Zaki, have instructed the embassy in Mogadishu to receive the sailors, check their well-being, and facilitate their return on the earliest available flight. Efforts to secure the sailors' release have been ongoing, with the ministry's consular sector keeping families updated and the Mogadishu embassy maintaining communication between the sailors and their loved ones during their captivity.

Negotiations with the pirates ended in failure when they demanded an increased ransom, causing the talks to restart from "square one." Piracy off the Somali coast reached its peak in 2011, with 237 attacks reported, costing the global economy an estimated $7 billion and generating $160 million in ransom payments. Although the threat has diminished due to international naval patrols and strengthened Somali government efforts, attacks have resurfaced in recent years, partly attributed to increased insecurity in Red Sea shipping linked to Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting commercial vessels in the region.