Eight Egyptians seized in pirate attack off Somalia freed after months in captivity

Eight Egyptian sailors seized from a tanker while sailing off Somalia's Puntland coast in early May have been freed after months in captivity, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced. The MT Eureka crew comprised 22 members, including the eight Egyptians, and remained anchored off Somalia following the hijacking.

Abdelatty held talks with Somali and Yemeni officials to secure the release of the sailors, enabling their return on the earliest available flight. The Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu coordinated the sailors' whereabouts, well-being, and eventual repatriation, while the embassy in Mogadishu facilitated communication between the sailors and their families during their captivity.

Negotiations with the hijackers had previously stalled after the pirates demanded a higher ransom, sending the situation back to the drawing board. Piracy off Somalia reached its peak in 2011, with 237 attacks reported, costing the global economy approximately $7 billion and generating $160 million in ransom payments. While international naval patrols and Somalia's central government strengthening curtailed the threat, piracy resurfaced in recent years, partly due to heightened insecurity in Red Sea shipping resulting from Houthi rebel activities targeting commercial vessels in the region.