File Photo: Somalia maritime police from PMPF patrol in the Gulf of Aden. AP
In a statement, the ministry expressed the UAE’s “full solidarity” with Egypt and with the families of the abducted sailors, backing efforts aimed at ensuring their safety and securing their release.
The ministry stressed the need to intensify international efforts to combat piracy and organized crime in vital maritime corridors, describing maritime security as a key pillar of global economic stability and international trade.
The UAE also renewed calls for stronger regional and international cooperation to protect commercial shipping, safeguard maritime crews, and preserve the security and stability of global navigation routes.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday it was closely monitoring reports that the oil tanker M/T Eureka, sailing under the Togolese flag, had been hijacked after leaving Yemeni regional waters and forced toward Somalia’s Puntland region with eight Egyptian sailors on board.
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty instructed Egypt’s embassy in Mogadishu to follow developments and provide support to the crew.
At the same time, Egyptian authorities intensified contacts with Somali officials to secure the sailors’ release and ensure their safety.
According to statements from relatives of the abducted crew to Egyptian media, the vessel, operated by a Sharjah-based company, had departed from Fujairah in the UAE en route to a Yemeni port before Somali pirates intercepted it on 2 May and allegedly forced it toward the Somali coast at gunpoint.
Ahmed Radi, the brother of abducted engineer Mohamed Radi Abdel Moneim, said the hijackers later contacted the shipping company and demanded a $3.5 million ransom in exchange for the crew’s release, threatening to kill the sailors if negotiations failed.
He added that his brother had contacted the family on 6 May, but that his last message, received on Saturday, indicated that negotiations had stalled and that the company had stopped communicating with the pirates, leaving the crew in what relatives described as grave danger.
Mohamed Radi’s sister accused the vessel’s owning company of failing to take serious action to resolve the crisis and said the crew had effectively been abandoned to an uncertain fate.
The families of the sailors issued urgent appeals to Egyptian authorities and international organizations to coordinate with naval forces operating in the region and pressure the vessel’s owner to accelerate efforts to secure the crew’s safe return.
According to testimonies posted by relatives on social media and cited by local media, the abducted Egyptian crew members include third engineer Mohamed Radi Abdel-Moneim Al-Mahasab, officer Moamen Akram Mokhtar Amin, chief engineer Mahmoud Galal Abdullah El-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.
Several Indian sailors were also reported to be aboard the vessel.
Online Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking data showed the tanker’s signal reappearing after the seizure near the coastal town of Bayla, also known as Bandar Beyla, after passing through Bosaso in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region about 10 days ago.
The incident has renewed concerns over maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, where Somali piracy surged in the late 2000s before declining sharply following intensified international naval patrols and armed security measures aboard commercial vessels.
However, maritime security analysts have warned in recent months of a potential resurgence in piracy activity off the Horn of Africa, amid regional instability, reduced naval deployments, and disruptions to Red Sea shipping routes caused by ongoing tensions linked to the war in Gaza.
The Gulf of Aden and nearby waters remain among the world’s most strategically vital shipping lanes, connecting the Red Sea and Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean and carrying a significant share of global oil, fuel, and commercial cargo traffic.
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