Home / Crime and Justice / Pirates Release Hostages After 5 Months Off Somalia
Pirates Release Hostages After 5 Months Off Somalia
30 Sep
Summary
- Twelve crew members were freed after nearly five months in captivity.
- Pirates damaged and set fire to the tanker before departing.
- The crew, comprised of Egyptians and Indians, were unharmed.
Pirates have released the 12 crew members of the Togo-flagged Eureka tanker after holding them for nearly five months. The incident concluded off the coast of Puntland, where the pirates, numbering around 30 armed individuals, departed the vessel. They handed over the seafarers, who were unharmed, to local contacts. The crew consisted of eight Egyptian and four Indian nationals.
Before their withdrawal, the pirates inflicted damage upon the Eureka and set it ablaze. A substantial amount of the tanker's petrochemical cargo had already been pumped out and sold by the pirates. The Eureka, carrying approximately 20,400 barrels of petrochemicals, was initially seized on May 2 near the Yemeni port of Qana while en route to Bosaso, Somalia.
The release of the crew occurred amidst an ongoing operation by the Puntland Maritime Police Force targeting pirate groups. This development follows previous successes by Puntland's security forces in regaining control of other seized vessels.
Piracy off Somalia's coast significantly impacted maritime shipping for years, though international naval patrols had largely curbed attacks. However, recent years have seen an increase in pirate activities in the region.
