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Negotiations aimed at securing the release of eight Egyptian crew members of the 'Eureka', held hostage by Somali pirates since May 2, have collapsed after the kidnappers withdrew from a preliminary agreement and demanded additional ransom payments. The talks had stalled after the pirates sought more money than had been agreed during earlier negotiations. The vessel was captured seized by armed pirates and was being held near Somalia’s Puntland coast. The negotiators had reached a preliminary agreement involving a $2 million ransom payment. However, the pirates later backed out of the deal and demanded additional funds, causing the negotiations to break down. Egypt’s Maritime Officers Association said all eight sailors remained alive. Some members of the crew have managed to make brief contact with their families. On May 18, the pirates released a video showing the sailors blindfolded and with their hands bound while warning shots were fired nearby, a recording that heightened fears among their relatives.

The Foreign Office of Pakistan said on June 5, that efforts were continuing to secure the release of ten Pakistani crew members of the 'Honour 25', held with seven more seafarers by Somali pirates since April 21, warning that the vessel’s highly explosive cargo limited rescue options and that such hostage situations often took months to settle. Families of the hostages had previously said that the crew had run out of clean drinking water and were surviving on limited food supplies while in captivity. Pakistan had urged the Somali government and the ship owner to ensure that food, drinking water and other basic necessities continued to be supplied to the hostages while negotiations remained ongoing. Pakistan’s embassy in Djibouti, which is accredited to Somalia, had remained engaged with Somali authorities and the ship owner, while officials from the embassy had previously visited Mogadishu to obtain first-hand information about the case. All channels of communication with the ship owner and the Somali government were intact, however, piracy incidents in the region have historically taken months to resolve.

The 'Xing Hai He', while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait (SS), was boarded by three unarmed perpetrators on June 5, 2026, at 2.28 a.m., in pos. 1°4.16' N' 103°41.91' E. The crew was not injured, and nothing was reported stolen from the bulk carrier.

Iran has released ten Indian sailors who were detained after the 'Harbour Phoenix' was intercepted near Jask Port in July 2025, India’s shipping authorities said on May 26, 2026. India’s Directorate General of Shipping said the sailors were detained, arrested and imprisoned” in Iran. They have now been released and reunited safely. Arrangements were being made for their return to India.

The 'Star Luna', while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait (SS), was boarded by three perpetrators, armed with knives and gun-like objects, on June 5, 2026, at 3.52 a.m., in pos. 1°3.73' N' 103°40.78' E. The crew was not injured, but the intruders stole service kits and a DG turbo charger from the bulk carrier.