Egypt seeks release of sailors hijacked on oil tanker in Gulf of Aden

An oil tanker, the Togolese‑flagged M/T Eureka, was seized on 2 May off Yemen’s Shabwa province by armed men believed to be Somali pirates and redirected into Puntland waters of Somalia. The vessel, carrying about 2,800 tons of diesel fuel, had a crew of 12, including eight Egyptian sailors and several Indian nationals.

The hijackers have demanded a ransom of $3.5 million and negotiations with the vessel’s operating company have stalled. Families of the Egyptian crew have appealed for help, reporting limited communication and threats to the crew’s safety. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has ordered the embassy in Mogadishu to intensify coordination with Somali authorities and to monitor the crew’s condition around the clock. The Egyptian foreign ministry says it is engaged in high‑level talks aimed at securing their release as quickly as possible.

The incident marks the fourth reported piracy attack in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea corridor within two weeks, renewing concerns over the resurgence of Somali piracy and its impact on international shipping routes.