Nave-Constellation

The 'Nave Constellation' along with its crew members reached Visakhapatnam on Jan 5, 2020, and they were given a warm welcome by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) officials. The ship was moored on the ports anchorage in pos. 17° 39.05' N 083° 18.76' E as of Jan 7.

Pirates have released 19 of the 26 crew members of the 'Nave Constellation' who were kidnapped on Dec 3 at Bonny Island, off the coast of Nigeria. There was no information on the reason for the release. According to the tanker owner, Navios Maritime, they are released in good health. 18 were from India, while the last one was from Turkey. Navios Maritime did not want to disclose whether ransom has been paid in connection with the release of the crew.

Indian authorities have entered into talks on the release of the 19 crew members who were kidnapped on Dec 3 from the 'Nave Constellation' off Nigeria. The Indian Foreign Service was in contact with the pirates. The father of the captain of the ship, who was among the kidnapped, has assisted the Foreign Service in the negotiations. The ship usually was underway with armed guards when it sails to Nigeria, but that was not the case this time..After the attack, the seven remaining crew members on the fully loaded tanker were asked to sail the ship to a safe place and moored off Bonny in pos. 02° 3.34' N 004° 24. The tanker had left the Bonny Offshore Terminal fully loaded with crude oil before the attack. It was the fourth time this year that pirates have been successful in launching an attack and capturing crew members in this position.