A ship management company is in talks to free three Greek sailors kidnapped earlier this month by pirates off the Nigerian coast, Athens’ Merchant Navy Ministry said Sunday.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Three of the five-strong crew were snatched from the Togo-flagged bunkering vessel Stelios K after the attackers boarded it on November 16.
Now Royal Ship Management, which owns the fuel tanker ship, is in talks for the hostages’ release, the ministry said.
The ministry added that all five of the crew were in good health.
Pirates took the captain and two of the crew of the Stelios K hostage, but the two sailors left on board were able to steer it back to a safe berth in Lagos.
This month’s attack on the Stelios K is the 23rd kidnapping incident in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020, with a total of 118 people snatched, according to UK-based maritime security firm Dryad Global.
The company issued a “critical risk rating” for the Gulf of Guinea immediately after the hostage-taking, saying it was the second successful kidnapping within three days and matched a “sharp increase in incidents” in the region.
-
US special forces rescue American held in Nigeria, say officials
US special forces rescued an American citizen who had been kidnapped by armed men in an operation on Saturday in northern Nigeria that is believed to ... World News -
Coronavirus: Looters in Nigeria target COVID-19 aid in government warehouses
Looters have been targeting state warehouses across Nigeria stocked with COVID-19 relief supplies which they say should already have gone to the poor ... Coronavirus -
Nigeria’s ex-president Obasanjo heads to Ethiopia ‘for mediation’
Nigeria’s ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday jetted to Ethiopia to mediate in the conflict between the government and the northern Tigray region ... World News