Egypt confirms oil tanker hijacked off Yemen’s coast, taken to Somalia

Egypt confirmed Monday that an oil tanker carrying eight Egyptian sailors was hijacked off Yemen’s coast and taken to Somalia.

Egypt is "closely monitoring the hijacking of the tanker M/T Eureka from Yemeni territorial waters, which was taken to Somali territorial waters," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said Foreign Badr Abdelatty has instructed the embassy in Mogadishu to follow up on the situation of the eight Egyptian sailors aboard the hijacked tanker and work for their swift release.

Abdelatty also urged the embassy to communicate "at the highest level" with Somali authorities to ensure the safety and security of the sailors.

The statement came days after Yemeni authorities said that a vessel was hijacked by pirates on May 2 off the coast of Shabwa Governorate in southwestern Yemen, with 12 Egyptian and Indian sailors on board.

On Sunday, the wife of an Egyptian sailor on the hijacked tanker appealed for the release of the sailors, saying pirates have demanded a ransom for their release.

The Somali coast witnessed widespread piracy activity between 2008 and 2018, before declining for several years, only to reappear again in late 2023 amid rising regional escalation.

*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul