Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Families of seven Egyptian fishermen missing at sea say they will file an official missing persons report on Wednesday as concern grows over the fate of a fishing vessel that disappeared last month in the Mediterranean.
The vessel, identified as Abu Hamza, departed from the Borg El-Burullus inlet in the Ezbet El-Borg area of Damietta on February 5, 2026. It was scheduled to return on February 24 with a crew of seven sailors on board but has not been heard from since.
According to relatives and representatives of the Cooperative Association for Ship Owners, the boat’s last known coordinates were near Turkish territorial waters, raising fears that the crew may have encountered trouble far from the Egyptian coast.
Members of parliament representing Damietta have begun contacting officials at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in an effort to clarify the situation. Diplomatic sources said the ministry has moved to communicate with Turkish authorities to help determine the vessel’s status and initiate search efforts based on the last recorded location.
Mohamed Jaafar, the uncle of missing fisherman Hamza Othman, said families are anxiously awaiting information about the crew and the circumstances behind the loss of contact.
He confirmed that relatives plan to submit a formal report to the Damietta Prosecution office in Shata on Wednesday morning, seeking official recognition of the fishermen’s disappearance and further action by authorities.
The case has heightened concern among fishing communities in Damietta, where families are calling for intensified search efforts and faster updates as uncertainty over the crew’s fate continues.
