Nigerian pirates have released seven Russian sailors and one Ukrainian sailor after they were kidnapped early last month on the cargo ship the BBC Caribbean, Russian news agencies reported on March 5.
Citing a human rights activist in Crimea, Russian news agencies said that the sailors had been released after talks between the owners of the ship and pirates.
The sailors were at a Frankfurt airport and would return home next week, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting activist Pavel Butsay from Sevastopol.
Butsay told the TASS news agency that a ransom was paid but did not disclose the sum.
The BBC Caribbean cargo vessel belongs to the German Briese Schiffahrts cargo company. It was attacked in Nigeria’s waters on February 5.
Security experts say the seas off the coast of Western Africa are some of the world’s most dangerous, with pirate ships often seizing oil tankers and holding sailors for ransom, Reuters reported.