An agreement to secure the release of the MT Eureka, a 20-year-old Togolese-flagged oil tanker, has collapsed after the pirates who abducted the ship withdrew from the previously agreed upon ransom, according to Egyptian sources. El-Sayed El-Shazly, head of Egypt’s Maritime Officers Association, recently stated that the crew of the ship is safe and secure, although efforts to secure their release have stalled. He disclosed that some of the crew members have contacted their families to confirm their safety. However, the pirates have raised their ransom demands again, causing concern among the crew’s families and those monitoring the ship’s condition. According to El-Shazly, negotiations between the pirates and the owner of the oil tanker had reached an agreement to pay a ransom of 2 million US dollars, but the pirates have since withdrawn from the agreement. As a result, plans to secure the release of the crew members have collapsed. The MT Eureka was abducted in early May while travelling in international waters near Yemen and was later taken to the coasts of Puntland. Shipping tracking information shows that the oil tanker was last seen in an area near Bandarbayla after passing through Bosaso. The Egyptian government has stated that diplomatic efforts are underway to secure the release of the crew members. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Badr Albelatty, has instructed the Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu to closely monitor the situation and maintain constant communication with the Somali Federal Government in order to expedite finding a solution to the matter.
