The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker ‘MT Barrett’ has been released from pirates, after captivity of six days, with all 22 crew reported as safe, the owner company Union Maritime informed.
“We are focused now on supporting the crew and their families. The crew are safely back in Lagos, Nigeria and were met by senior representatives from Union Maritime and the technical managers,” said an official statement by the company.
The announcement comes only after a day Union Maritime confirmed that the missing tanker had been subject of a piracy attack in Gulf of Guinea, since Wednesday 10th January.
The MT Barrett was at anchor off Benin, West Africa, when communications were lost on the morning of Wednesday. Union Maritime’s emergency response plan was immediately activated and regional maritime authorities and other vessels in the area were alerted.
“The exact nature of the incident only became clear late on 12th January when those holding the vessel made contact with the company. A resolution process began, which ultimately led to the release of the vessel and all crew on board on 16th January,” the company added.
“We sincerely appreciate the support and efforts of all involved, including the authorities in Benin, Togo, Nigeria and India.”