BEVERLY HILLS, February 01, (THEWILL) – Six Ukrainian sailors captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea on December 16, 2020, have been released.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, who made the disclosure in a post on Instagram, said the Ukranian nationals had been held captive for a month and a half after they were abducted with two nationals of other foreign countries.
“Our citizens are safe, and we are waiting for their return home as soon as possible. Thanks to Ukrainian diplomats and all those who were involved in the release of our compatriots”, he said.
Foreign ministry spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, as quoted by the Ukrinform news agency last year, said the pirates had attacked the vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, Africa’s most economically active and oil-rich region..
He confirmed that the pirates captured eight members of the crew, 28 nautical miles (51.8 kms) off the coast of Nigeria.
“Yes, we are aware of this situation. As a result of a pirate attack on the ship off the coast of Nigeria on December 16, eight crew members were captured, including six Ukrainian citizens,” Nikolenko said.
According to the diplomat, the owner of the STEVIA cargo ship is an Albanian company, so both the Ukrainian embassy in Nigeria and Albania took appropriate response measures.
Pirate activity in the region has increased in recent years, prompting Nigeria, Ghana, and other surrounding countries to set up a naval coordination operation to combat the phenomenon.
