Oil tanker with 22 Indian sailors released after four days by pirates

The Marine Express was at the anchorage Cotonou in the Gulf of Guinea in Benin when it was taken over by pirates on February 1.
Marine Express tanker. (Photo | Jurij S/Marine Traffic.com)
Marine Express tanker. (Photo | Jurij S/Marine Traffic.com)

KASARGOD: A tanker vessel with 22 Indians that went missing off the coast of Benin, a West African country, has been released, tweeted external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

In her second tweet, she thanked the governments of Nigeria and Benin for their help and support.

The Panama-registered merchant ship, reportedly carrying 13,500 tonnes of petrol worth Rs 52 crore, anchored at Cotonou in Benin on January 31. It was not seen since then.

One of the sailors, Sree Unni of Udma in Kasargod, contacted his family back home and assured that he and the rest of the crew were safe. 

According to officials, the ship owned by Mumbai-based AngloEastern Ship Management was hijacked. 

When contacted, Awunga Shatsang Prem Ramyo, assistant attaché in High Commission of India at Abuja, confirmed that the ship was hijacked. "It was hijacked and released. There is no further information to share," he said.

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