Six sailors kidnapped at the end of March after a pirate raid on a Danish cargo ship in the Gulf of Guinea have been released in Nigeria, according to the shipowner, Monjasa, which confirmed Monday that the hostages will be able to return to their respective countries of origin, which have not been specified – it is known that they are not Danish.
The ‘Monjasa Reformer’ was boarded on March 25 when it was near Sao Tome and Principe. Five days later, the French Navy located the vessel and ten of its 16 crew members on board. The pirates took the remaining six to the coasts of Nigeria, where they were finally released »at an undisclosed location».
The company’s CEO, Anders Ostergaard, has confirmed that all of them are »in relatively good health», given the »difficult circumstances» in which they have spent the last five weeks. We are immensely grateful» to all those who »have helped us resolve this horrible situation,» he said in a statement.
The Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of West Africa, is one of the most dangerous areas in the world for merchant ships, although there had been a recent decline in the number of attack cases. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were 19 attacks on ships in the Gulf in 2022, after 35 the previous year and 84 in 2020.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
