Qatar Denounces Tanker Hijacking Off Yemen

(MENAFN) Qatar on Tuesday denounced the seizure of an oil tanker in Yemeni territorial waters carrying Egyptian crew members, as families of those aboard revealed pirates had issued ransom demands for their release.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry declared the vessel's capture a "flagrant violation of international law" and a "serious threat" to maritime security and international trade, noting in a statement that the tanker had been redirected to Somali territorial waters near the Puntland region.

Doha expressed full solidarity with Egypt and the sailors' families, calling for the crew's safety to be guaranteed and their release expedited. The ministry further urged coordinated international action to safeguard maritime navigation and freedom of passage through international waterways, describing them as essential to regional and global security and stability.

Egypt confirmed Monday that eight of its nationals aboard an oil tanker had been seized off Yemen's coast and transported to Somalia. The disclosure followed an earlier announcement by Yemeni authorities that a vessel had been hijacked by pirates on May 2 off the coast of Shabwa Governorate in southwestern Yemen, with 12 Egyptian and Indian sailors reported on board.

The wife of one of the captive Egyptian sailors confirmed that those holding the crew had demanded a ransom in exchange for their freedom.

The development marks the latest chapter in a resurgent piracy crisis along the Somali coastline. After a decade of rampant maritime crime between 2008 and 2018, incidents had significantly subsided — before piracy activity re-emerged in late 2023 against a backdrop of escalating regional instability.

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