Egypt is intensifying diplomatic efforts to secure the release of sailors detained aboard a vessel off Somalia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates said Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty was personally overseeing the case and had ordered authorities to continue working on every front to protect the sailors and secure their swift release.
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The ministry said it was also conducting intensive discussions with the relevant Somali and Yemeni authorities to track the latest developments.
Those contacts are focused on obtaining the sailors’ release as quickly as possible, while safeguarding their well-being, meeting their basic needs, and ensuring suitable living conditions until the crisis ends and they can return home safely.
The ministry added that it remains in contact with the company that owns the vessel, seeking to secure the sailors’ release and ensure the company meets its obligations under international law.
Officials are also maintaining regular communication with the sailors’ families, providing updates on the case and the steps being taken until the crew is freed, according to the statement.
In late August, Abdelatty said Cairo was continuing its intensive efforts to win the sailors’ release.
In comments to Al Arabiya TV, the foreign minister said Somali authorities were speaking daily with the kidnappers and using their strong relationships with tribes in the area where the vessel is being held in an effort to secure the crew’s freedom.
Abdelatty also said he was in contact with Yemen’s prime minister and foreign minister. He noted that the vessel belongs to a Yemeni national and that Yemeni officials communicate with the ship’s owner every day.
The incident began in early May, when Somali pirates seized the Togolese-flagged MT Eureka after it departed Yemeni waters and forced it toward Somali territorial waters near Puntland State.
Following the hijacking, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely and continuously monitoring the case and had helped establish communication between the abducted sailors and their families.
