LONDON (Reuters) – West African pirates have freed a gasoline tanker that was hijacked at the end of April and contact was reestablished with the crew early this morning, the ship’s owner told Reuters on Friday.
The vessel is believed to have been hijacked for its cargo of gasoline, worth millions of dollars.
“We believe that was the purpose. Some of the cargo has been stolen,” said Nick Fell, a spokesman for BW Maritime.
At least 16 such incidents have been reported in the stretch of coastline from Togo to Nigeria, according to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.
All 24 crew members were enroute to safety at a nearby port but Fell declined to specify the location and it was not clear whether had been released unharmed.
The BW Rhine was seized from achorage off the coast of Togo on April 28, laden with a cargo of gasoline.
This article was posted by Neptune Maritime Security via af.reuters.com. MaritimeSecurity.Asia in cooperation with www.neptunemaritimesecurity.com
