Product tanker BW Rhine has been released off Nigeria by its captors. All 24 crew members are safe.
At 0630 UTC today, communications were re-established with the vessel. The Master of BW Rhine Captain Dheeraj Sharma confirmed that the vessel has been held under duress while the cargo was being stolen.
“We are all very relieved and our immediate priority is to ensure the wellbeing of our employees,” says BW Maritime CEO Andreas Sohmen-Pao.
BW Rhine is currently enroute to a nearby port, where support services have been arranged for the crew upon arrival.
This is the first known hijack case of this nature in Lome, Togo. The attack took place at a patrolled anchorage with a large number of other vessels in the area.
“A thorough investigation of the incident will be undertaken in the coming weeks and the company requests that respect is given to the privacy of the crew and their families after their ordeal,” Company says on its web site.
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Source: BW Maritime, May 4, 2012