Pirates have freed six Russian sailors kidnapped off the coast of Africa
MOSCOW, 30 Jul — RIA Novosti. All the Russian sailors abducted earlier in the Gulf of Guinea, released, now the issue about their return to Russia, said RIA Novosti at the Russian Embassy in Nigeria.
“All six Russian sailors freed. The question of their return to the Russian Federation in the near future is resolved,” — said the Embassy.
The pirates attacked the container ship MSC Mandy at night on 2 January. On Board were 24 people — 23 citizens of Russia and one Ukrainian.
The invaders have kidnapped six Russians. The authorities of Benin opened a criminal case.
The MSC representative told RIA Novosti that the owner intends to hire intermediaries to negotiate with the pirates. They reportedly demanded a ransom for the sailors.
Theft in the Gulf of Guinea
Theft is not uncommon in this region, “this is business”, which, most likely, are Nigerian pirates, experts explain. Unlike the Somali, Nigerian and closed very stingy with the dissemination of information.
The average pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea occur a few times a year. If you had captured two or three people, now often take almost the entire crew. Chief editor of “Maritime Bulletin”, an expert on the law of the sea Mikhail Voitenko attributes this to lack of permission to have on Board an armed guard.