Eight Egyptian seafarers freed after months in captivity off Somalia

Dubai: Eight Egyptian seafarers held captive aboard the oil tanker M/T Eureka for several months have been freed off Somalia’s Puntland region following intensive diplomatic efforts to secure their release, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The sailors were in good condition and arrangements were under way for their return to Egypt, the ministry said.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty instructed the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu to receive the eight sailors, check on their condition and facilitate their return on the earliest available flight, ministry spokesman Nader Zaki said.

The release followed directives from President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and sustained high level contacts by Abdelatty with officials in Somalia and Yemen, according to the ministry.

The seafarers had been aboard the M/T Eureka when the vessel was hijacked on May 2 while sailing in waters near the Yemeni coast. The tanker was subsequently taken into Somali territorial waters near Puntland, according to Egyptian authorities.

Cairo had been working with Somali and Yemeni authorities and other parties involved in the case to secure the sailors’ release and ensure their safety during their captivity.

The Foreign Ministry said its consular department had met the sailors’ families during the crisis to keep them informed about diplomatic efforts to secure their relatives’ release.

Egypt’s embassy in Mogadishu also helped maintain communication between the sailors and their families, allowing relatives to receive updates on their condition.

In June, the ministry said it was following the case on a daily basis and conducting high level contacts with the relevant Somali authorities, as well as communicating with Yemeni officials and the vessel’s owner.

Those efforts focused on ensuring the sailors’ safety, securing adequate living conditions during their captivity and accelerating negotiations for their release.

The Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu will now complete the necessary procedures for the eight sailors to return home, bringing an end to an ordeal that lasted nearly five months.