Pirates abandon tanker seized off Yemen as Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland cracks down

Somali pirates have abandoned the hijacked oil tanker Eureka after nearly five months in captivity, as security forces in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Somalia, step up operations against pirate networks along the Gulf of Aden coast.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force said the pirates ran the vessel aground before abandoning it and putting the crew ashore. Crew members were later confirmed safe, according to the force's statement, reported by the Associated Press.

The Eureka was seized on May 2 in Yemeni territorial waters and taken across the Gulf of Aden to waters off Puntland. Egypt's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that eight Egyptian sailors held aboard the tanker had been released following months of contacts with Somali and Yemeni officials, efforts it said were overseen by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. The Egyptian embassy in Mogadishu was instructed to receive the sailors and arrange their return home on the earliest available flight.

The Eureka's release follows two other recoveries in recent days. Puntland forces retook the fuel tanker MT Honour 25 on Tuesday, but authorities said pirates had killed five of its crew before the operation: three Pakistanis, one Myanmar national and one Indian. Four others were injured. The tanker, seized in April with 17 crew aboard and carrying 18,500 barrels of oil, is now under Puntland's protection. Sixteen suspected pirates were detained and at least 11 escaped. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of five crew members."

Days earlier, Puntland forces freed the US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1, hijacked in August, in an operation that left its crew safe.

The incidents have revived concern over a resurgence of piracy off Somalia after years of relative decline. The Gulf of Aden is a key approach to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, a route that carries a large share of energy and trade flows between the Gulf, Asia and Europe. Puntland authorities said they would continue pursuing those involved in piracy and maritime crime and seek continued cooperation with international maritime security partners.