X-press-Odyssey

Eight crew members of the 'Tommi Ritscher' who were abducted when pirates boarded the vessel at Cotonou anchorage, Benin, on April 19, have been released and were being repatriated back to their families. The freed seafarers have undergone medical checks and were in good spirits given their time in captivity. They have been in contact with their families and were given privacy as they work to fully recover from their ordeal. The owners and managers thanked the authorities, government agencies and specialists who have been instrumental in securing the release of the seafarers. Because of the ongoing scourge of piracy, no operational details were provided about the release of the crew members in respect to those seafarers who are still being held or may be abducted in future.attacks.

The'Tommi Ritscher' returned to Cotonou on April 21. In a joint operation by the Beninese and Nigerian navies the attack on the ship by pirates at anchor in Cotonou in zone 3, six kilometers off the coast of Benin, had been thwarted. 11 crew members were rescued by agents of the Special Boat Service of the Nigerian Navy (NN SBS) and the Beninese Navy in Benin's territorial waters. The boarding operations had started on April 20 around 5.30 p.m. on April 20, and 11 crew members were rescued from various compartments of the ship. Eight members of the ship's crew and the pirates could not be located on board the ship. The SBS remained on board to ensure the safety of the ship and the remaining crew. Back at the port of Cotonou, a more complete search of the ship was carried out, however, without finding the missing crew nor the pirates. As of April 24, the 'Tommi Ritscher' remained moored in pos. 06° 17.03' N 002° 32.15' E.

The pirates who boarded the 'Tommi Ritscher' in the Gulf of Guinea have left the vessel and the territorial waters of Benin after the negotiations with the Benin authorities. The Benin Navy boats that came to the ship’s rescue drove away the speedboats where the pirates’ accomplices were. As a result, they were cut off from the coast. A Nigerian Navy boat with special forces on its board arrived at the place of the incident in the night of April 20. The Nigerian special forces boarded the container ship on April 21 and freed the remaining 11 crewmembers who had stayed in the citadel.