Three Russian sailors captured by pirates in early February near Nigeria have returned to Russia, Director of Briese Shipping crewing agency’s St. Petersburg office Pavel Fedulov said.
“The three crew members are back in Russia. They had been aboard the captured ship,” he stated. “However, they never came ashore, which means they hadn’t been kidnapped,” added the company representative.
According to him, the situation with the other sailors hasn’t changed. Talks are underway, Fedulov noted.
Earlier reports stated that the general cargo ship The BBC Caribbean, owned by Germany’s Briese Schiffahrt company, came under an attack by pirates on February 5. Eight crew members – seven Russians (three of them from Sevastopol) and one Ukrainian – were taken hostage. Three crew members that remained on the ship – the chief engineer, the second mate and a cadet – managed to escape from the pirates and maneuvered the ship towards Las Palmas, Spain.
Briese Crewing Crimea director Maksim Nester said earlier that new crew members had been delivered to the ship in exchange for the ones kidnapped.
TASS