After the pirates’ invasion in the tanker vessel named “Nave Constellation” on 3 December in Nigeria, the 19 kidnapped crewmembers of the ship announced that have been released. Specifically, all 18 Indian and one Turkish national, were set free on Saturday 21 December.
Since the vessel’s attack, only seven seafarers managed to stay onboard and made every effort to navigate the vessel in a safe area.
According to information published by the tanker’s company Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation, after the invasion, their concern was first of all the crew’s safety.
All those taken and now released are in good spirits and well, given the circumstances of their time in captivity.
…the company’s owners and managers noted.
As the Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation further noted, there will be no operational details or information about the kidnap and the release as this could affect negatively the seafarer’s safety which still being held elsewhere or encourage future seizures.
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Since the attack, the prime concern has been the safety, well-being and early return of the seafarers taken by the pirate gang. Owners and managers are now delighted to report that on December 21 all of those taken were released and are now safe and undergoing medical tests and debriefing, following which they will return to their loved ones at home.
…Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation continued.
As the maritime security consultancy Dryad Global infromed after the seizure, the attack took place in a particularly dangerous hotspot for maritime piracy, in the waters south of the Niger River Delta near the southeastern boundary of the Nigerian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Concluding, Nigeria still remains one of the top piracy’s hotspots with its waters still being risky for ships, especially the port of Lagos where four incidents have been reported.
