Egypt steps up efforts to secure release of sailors on ship hijacked by pirates off Somalia | The National

Piracy has remained a threat off the Somali coast despite navy patrols. AFPPiracy has remained a threat off the Somali coast despite navy patrols. AFPMT Eureka was carrying 22 crew members when it was attacked in early MayThe NationalJune 30, 2026

Egypt's Foreign Ministry is intensifying diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Egyptian sailors held aboard the hijacked cargo ship MT Eureka off Somalia.

The vessel, seized in early May near Puntland, carries 22 crew members, including eight Egyptians and several Indian sailors.

Egypt's embassies in Mogadishu and Riyadh are co-ordinating with Somali and Yemeni authorities, as well as the ship's owner, to secure the crew's release.

Somali piracy peaked in 2011 with 237 attacks, costing the global economy approximately $7 billion, including $160 million in ransoms, before largely subsiding for years.