Nigerian pirates released six Turkish crew members of Malta-flagged tanker MT Puli who were kidnapped two weeks ago off the coast of Nigeria.
On 11 April, eight pirates armed with rifles in a speed boat boarded the oil tanker Puli 118 nm south-southwest of Port Harcourt, and kidnapped six crewmen. ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) informed that the pirates stole cash, ship’s properties and crew personal belongings and then kidnapped six Turkish crew members. The tanker continued a passage towards a safe port. No injuries to remaining crew were reported.
The crew member, who included the M/T Puli’s captain, are now safely back in Instabul, the lawyer for the shipping firm Kaptanoglu Denizcilik confirmed to media. However, he declined to disclose the terms of their release and whether a ransom was paid or not.
The tanker was carrying liquid chemical fuels and was travelling to Cameroon, local media reports