Egypt is intensifying diplomatic efforts to free eight Egyptian sailors held aboard the hijacked oil tanker MT Eureka, two months after armed men seized the vessel in the Gulf of Aden and steered it into Somali waters. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has directed daily monitoring of the crisis through Egypt’s embassies in Mogadishu and Riyadh, according to the Foreign Ministry’s June 29 statement coordinating the response.
The diplomatic push comes after negotiations between the vessel’s owner and the hijackers collapsed and after the captors raised their ransom demand to $10 million. The tanker and its 12-person crew, eight Egyptians and four Indians, are anchored off Somalia’s Puntland coast, a stretch of shoreline beyond the direct reach of the federal government in Mogadishu.
What Egypt Is Doing to Bring the Eight Home
Abdelatty has put the file at the centre of his engagement with Mogadishu. On 5 June he raised the captured crew directly with Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali by phone, reaffirming Egypt’s full support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two ministers had met in Cairo on 5 February, ahead of a session of the African Union Peace and Security Council under Egypt’s chairmanship.
On the ground, the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu has been instructed to maintain high-level contact with Somali counterparts, while the embassy in Riyadh, accredited to the Yemeni government, has been told to coordinate with Yemeni authorities and with the vessel’s owner. Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad, said publicly on 12 May that the Egyptian sailors are in good health and being treated well, and that the ministry had established direct and ongoing communication between the hostages and their families in Egypt.
The request lands on a federal government in Mogadishu whose writ does not run to the coastline where the tanker sits. The waters off Puntland, at the tip of the Horn of Africa, have long been outside the federal authority’s direct reach, which is why a quiet ministerial appeal carries weight and a limit at the same time.
- 5 February 2026: Abdelatty meets Abdisalam Abdi Ali in Cairo ahead of an African Union Peace and Security Council session.
- 2 May 2026: Armed men board the MT Eureka near the port of Qana in Yemen’s Shabwa Governorate.
- 11 May 2026: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry publicly confirms it is monitoring the hijacking.
- 12 May 2026: The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a statement expressing solidarity with Egypt.
- 5 June 2026: Abdelatty raises the file with his Somali counterpart in a phone call.
- 29 June 2026: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry coordinates with Somali and Yemeni authorities to expedite the crew’s release.
What Happened on May 2 Off Shabwa
The hijacking followed a familiar Gulf of Aden script. Armed men overran the MT Eureka near the port of Qana in Yemen’s Shabwa Governorate at 5:00 AM local time on May 2, according to Somali security officials who spoke to the BBC. The attackers had set out from a remote coastal area near the seaside town of Qandala in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, three of those officials said.
The Togo-flagged tanker had departed the UAE port of Fujairah bound for a Yemeni port when it was intercepted, family members told Mada Masr. It was carrying 20,400 barrels of diesel, Puntland security officials told Drop Site News, and was owned by Royal Shipping Lines Inc, a UAE-based shipping company. Aboard were 12 crew, eight Egyptians and four Indians. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry identified the eight Egyptian crew members as third engineer Mohamed Radi Abdel Moneim Al-Mahasab, officer Moamen Akram Mokhtar Amin, chief engineer Mahmoud Galal Abdullah Al-Mekawy, sailor Sameh Abdel Azim El-Desouky El-Sayed, mechanic Aslam Adel Abdel Monsef Selim, electrical engineer Mohamed Ahmed Abdullah, welder Ahmed Mahmoud Saad Ismail Darwish and cook Adham Salem Shaaban Gaber. Ambassador El-Gohary said the hijackers did not appear to have specifically targeted Egyptian crew. Puntland’s regional government has since imposed a land blockade and moved troops to the coastal area near Bander Beyla to prevent supplies and reinforcements from reaching the captors, according to the Puntland security officials’ account of the seizure, and the hijacking was first reported as a seizure near Qana in Yemen’s Shabwa province by the BBC.
- May 2: the date armed men boarded the MT Eureka near Qana port in Shabwa Governorate, Yemen.
- 12 crew total, including eight Egyptians and four Indians, are held aboard.
- 20,400 barrels of diesel were the cargo carried by the seized product tanker.
- 3.7 nautical miles off Bander Beyla is the vessel’s last reported anchor position in Puntland waters.
- Around 30 pirates are now aboard, up from seven who first boarded, per Puntland security officials.
The Ransom Clock Ticks Up, Not Down
Talks between the vessel’s owner and the hijackers have moved in one direction. Family members told Ahram Online that the captors’ initial demand was about $3.5 million. According to Puntland security officials and clan elders who spoke to Drop Site News, the figure was briefly dropped to $7 million during negotiations before being pushed back up to $10 million.
Conditions aboard have tightened as the talks have stalled. The wife of engineer Mohamed Radi told the Middle East Monitor that her husband informed her during a phone call that the pirates had increased the number of armed guards on board while sharply restricting food and water. His brother told Mada Masr the captors were allowing the hostages to contact their families once every four or five days for no more than five minutes at a time. Ambassador El-Gohary said publicly on 12 May that the Egyptian sailors remain in good health.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has stopped short of commenting on the ransom itself, per the reporting on the ransom climbing to $10 million. Royal Shipping Lines Inc has not issued a public statement on the hijacking, according to Puntland security officials who spoke to Drop Site News.
A Captain’s Verdict on the Shipowner
Captain El-Sayed El-Shazly, head of Egypt’s Maritime Officers Syndicate and the International Transport Workers’ Federation liaison officer in Egypt, told Al-Shams TV that negotiations had collapsed and that the hijackers had resumed their demand for a higher ransom. He accused the ship’s owner of neglecting the crew throughout the crisis and said he had only recently resurfaced in an attempt to reach a settlement.
El-Shazly described the MT Eureka as 88 metres long, insured through a Protection and Indemnity Club with an insured value of about $1 million. He also warned against any military operation by Somali authorities or peacekeeping forces, saying such action would create direct danger for the kidnapped sailors.
We are under the mercy of a greedy owner who raised dirty and notorious flags on his vessel, without applying safety requirements or providing a safe working environment for the sailors.
El-Shazly’s assessment came in an interview with Ahram Online in which he also noted that all 12 crew members aboard the vessel remained safe and that some had managed to contact their families.
Why 2026 Sounds Like the 2011 Peak
The Eureka is one node in a small wave that has revived organised Somali piracy for the first time in a decade. The International Maritime Bureau logged 116 piracy and armed-robbery incidents against ships worldwide in 2024 and 137 in 2025, including four vessel hijackings, several of them off the Somali coast.
The MT Honour 25, carrying 18,500 barrels of oil bound for Mogadishu, was hijacked on 22 April. A UAE-flagged dhow was seized in the same stretch and later released, and a cement carrier remains held by pirates in Somali waters, according to Puntland security officials who spoke to Drop Site News. The April-May cluster is the first time multiple commercial ships have been held at once since the early-2010s peak, when 237 attacks were recorded in 2011 alone.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations has raised the piracy threat level along the Somali coast to substantial and warned vessels to transit with caution. The European Union Naval Force Atalanta has acknowledged the hijackings, advising vessels in the area to maintain heightened vigilance. The EU extended Operation Atalanta, its counter-piracy mission in the region, through 28 February 2027, per Lloyd’s List reporting.
Analysts point to two structural shifts behind the revival. International naval assets have been drawn toward Strait of Hormuz duties and Red Sea responses to the war in Iran, leaving fewer ships for the anti-piracy patrols that contained the threat a decade ago. And Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea since late 2023 have pushed more merchant traffic toward routes closer to the Somali coast.
| Vessel | Type | Reported status |
|---|---|---|
| MT Eureka | Product tanker | Held off Puntland; 12-person crew includes 8 Egyptians |
| MT Honour 25 | Oil tanker | Hijacked 22 April; 18,500 barrels of oil; anchored near Bander Beyla |
| Cement carrier | Cargo vessel | Also held in Somali waters; details limited |
Egypt’s Wider Stakes in a Stable Somalia
The eight sailors sit inside a much larger relationship. The Gulf of Aden is the sea approach to the Suez Canal, a vital source of foreign-currency revenue for Cairo, and any sustained revival of piracy threatens the traffic that keeps the canal busy. Protecting that corridor sits among Egypt’s core economic priorities, alongside its humanitarian duty to its citizens held at sea.
Cairo’s broader posture, including on regional security and the Iran crisis, gives context to why the Somali file has been elevated. Abdelatty has used his contacts with Mogadishu to restate Egypt’s rejection of any unilateral moves against Somali sovereignty and to press for sustainable funding for the African Union Mission in Somalia, and the hostage file and the sovereignty file point in the same direction, as outlined in Egypt’s broader Gulf security posture under President Sisi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MT Eureka?
The MT Eureka is a Togo-flagged product tanker owned by UAE-based Royal Shipping Lines Inc and hijacked on May 2, 2026 near the port of Qana in Yemen’s Shabwa Governorate, then steered into Somali waters.
Who owns the vessel and who has negotiated?
Royal Shipping Lines Inc owns the vessel, according to Puntland security officials cited by Drop Site News. The company has not publicly issued a statement on the hijacking. Captain El-Sayed El-Shazly of Egypt’s Maritime Officers Syndicate has publicly accused the owner of neglecting the crew.
How many crew are aboard and where are they held?
Twelve in total, eight Egyptians and four Indians, anchored 3.7 nautical miles off the fishing town of Bander Beyla in Somalia’s Puntland region.
What is Egypt doing to free its sailors?
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has directed the embassy in Mogadishu to maintain daily monitoring and the embassy in Riyadh, accredited to Yemen, to coordinate with Yemeni authorities and the shipowner. He raised the file directly with Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali in a 5 June phone call, and the ministry’s consular sector is holding regular meetings with the families.
Is this part of a broader piracy resurgence?
Yes. The MT Honour 25 was hijacked on 22 April carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, and a UAE-flagged dhow was also seized before being released. The International Maritime Bureau recorded 137 piracy and armed-robbery incidents against ships worldwide in 2025, up from 116 in 2024, including four vessel hijackings. The EU extended Operation Atalanta, its counter-piracy mission in the region, through 28 February 2027.
