The eleven seafarers who were kidnapped from MV Pomerenia Sky in October 2018, off the Nigerian coast, have been released, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland informed.
The ministry thanked the shipowner, Germany’s Peter Dohle Schiffahrts, as well as Nigerian authorities for cooperation on the matter.
“From the very beginning, the matter was dealt with by the inter-ministerial team headed by the deputy minister of foreign affairs, and we are glad that the release took place before Christmas,” the spokesperson added.
As informed, this is the fifth kidnapping of Poles in the Gulf of Guinea since 2013.
“We appeal to Polish seafarers to check that the shipowner has adequate insurance before starting to work on a ship that operates in a dangerous region of the world,” the ministry cautioned.
The terms of the seafarers’ release have not been disclosed.
As World Maritime News reported , a group of pirates boarded the containership and seized 11 crew members off Nigeria early on October 27. The attack reportedly occurred some 60 km off the coast of Nigeria on the fairway to the port of Bonny.
At the time, the vessel was on its way from Luanda, Angola to Nigerian port of Onne.
World Maritime News Staff