Three Russian sailors abducted by pirates near Beninese coast freed, returning home - Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. May 26 (Interfax) - Three Russian sailors abducted by pirates in Beninese territorial waters in April have been freed and have departed for Germany so as to return to Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"According to the Russian embassy to Nigeria, three Russian citizens and crewmembers of the Tommi Ritscher container ship captured by pirates in Beninese territorial waters on April 19, namely chief mate Sigunov, senior engineer Zaitsev, and electrical officer Suprun, were freed on May 23," the statement said.
The same evening, they departed on a charter flight from Lagos to Frankfurt am Main with assistance from the Russian diplomatic mission in Abuja, from where they would return to Russia.
"The sailors' health has been assessed as fair," it said.
The media reported earlier that the Tommi Ritscher container ship anchored near the port of Cotonou had been seized by pirates on April 19. The Beninese Navy command said later that its naval boats encircled the captured container ship having several crewmembers on board within the country's territorial waters.
"In addition to the report on the assault on the Tommi Ritscher container ship published earlier by the embassy, we are also reporting that three Russian citizens are among the hostages seized by the pirates," the Russian embassy said in an earlier report.
The publication Marine Insight reported that, when pirates assaulted the ship, 11 sailors locked themselves in, and eight others were captured. The ship's crew included citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the Philippines.
The Tommi Ritscher is owned by Woollerton Shipping and operated by Germany's Reederei Gerd Ritscher. According to the Dryad Global web portal specializing in navigation security, the Tommi Ritscher sails under the Portuguese flag.
