Egyptian Sailors’ Hostage Crisis in Somalia Deepens
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The ordeal of Egyptian sailors held on the oil tanker M/T Eureka has taken another troubling turn, with Somali pirates who seized the vessel off Yemen’s coast last month reportedly lifting their ransom demand from $2 million to $3 million in return for the crew’s freedom.
More than 45 days have passed since the tanker was hijacked on May 2 near Yemen’s Shabwa governorate and then steered through the Gulf of Aden toward the Somali coast, with no sign of an imminent resolution. The crew includes 12 sailors — eight Egyptians and four Indians.
In a statement released Wednesday, the sailors’ families said negotiations had earlier shown progress, producing an understanding between the shipowner and cargo owner on one side and the pirates on the other to pay a ransom for the hostages’ release. But delays in transferring the agreed amount, they said, prompted the captors to threaten to abandon the deal and raise their demands.
Negotiations Hit Obstacles
Captain El-Sayed El-Shazly, head of Egypt’s Maritime Officers Syndicate, said the effort to free the sailors has recently run into fresh obstacles. He said the pirates increased their demand to $3 million after an earlier agreement with the vessel’s owner set the ransom at $2 million.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, El-Shazly said Egypt’s Foreign Ministry and Maritime Safety Authority had been carrying out contacts and diplomatic efforts at multiple levels to support the talks. He firmly rejected any military option, saying a rescue operation would pose grave risks to the hostages’ lives and safety.
As the negotiations stall, the sailors’ relatives fear the situation may become even harder to resolve. In their statement, the families warned that further delay would “further complicate the situation and squander the strenuous efforts” made by the authorities, pressing for the immediate implementation of the proposed solutions.
The families said the sailors have endured “45 days of pain, anxiety and anticipation” in harsh humanitarian conditions, including limited drinking water and insufficient food. They have also launched a social media campaign of solidarity under several hashtags, chief among them “Save the Sailors.”
Amira Abu Saada, the wife of detained sailor Mohamed Radi El-Mahsab, said the waiting has become increasingly painful as uncertainty over the hostages’ fate drags on.
“Intermittent phone calls were our only source of reassurance,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that those calls have become rarer. The last time she heard from her husband was on the second day of Eid al-Adha, more than three weeks ago.
Safety Questions Resurface
Since the hijacking in early May, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has said it has been tracking the case closely through coordination with the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu and contacts with Somali authorities, in an effort to protect the sailors and secure their release as quickly as possible.
The continuing complications have also revived discussion over safety procedures and regulations for Egyptian sailors working aboard foreign-flagged vessels.
“The incident underscores the need for a serious discussion about regulating the employment of Egyptian sailors abroad,” El-Shazly said. He called for tighter standards governing service on foreign ships, especially those with questions surrounding safety compliance and operating conditions.
Piracy off the Horn of Africa was once a major threat to international shipping. Attacks peaked in 2008 and persisted for years, disrupting one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. Although incidents fell sharply in recent years, piracy has reemerged since late 2023 amid rising regional security tensions and renewed risks to global shipping lanes.
