Hijacked Tanker Freed

The Kiribati-flagged oil tanker MT Hai Soon 6 carrying 21 sailors, which had been hijacked off Ghana a week ago, was released on Sunday in waters off Nigeria, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.

Besides cargo officer Yeo Eu Loone, 38, there were 12 Chinese, six Myanmar nationals and two Koreans in the crew, according to the Ministry.

The MT Hai Soon 6, was hijacked approximately 68 nautical miles south-east of Accra, Ghana. Around ten heavily armed pirates got onto the tanker, forcing the crew to steer the ship in a south-east direction.

It is not clear whether a ransom has been paid, and the hijacking appeared to have been aimed at stealing fuel.

The International Maritime Bureau reports that West African piracy accounted to up to 19 percent of attacks worldwide last year.

Nigerian pirates were the most active, being involved in 31 of 51 attacks reported in the region.

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World Maritime News Staff, August 4, 2014; Image: MarineTraffic