Romanian sailor kidnapped in September in Nigeria has been released

The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) informs that the Romanian sailor kidnapped on September 22 in Nigerian waters has been released, together with all the other crew members.

The MAE communique further informs that the Romanian citizen is to be repatriated in the coming days and that he is currently assisted by a Consular mobile team with the Romanian Embassy in Bern.

“The family of the Romanian citizen is in constant contact with the MAE crisis cell members and has been informed about the development by the Swiss ship-owner.  The MAE crisis cell, involving six diplomatic missions (the embassies of Romania in Abuja, Bern, London, Manila, Ljubljana and Zagreb) has had constant contact with the Nigerian and Swiss authorities, with the ship-owner and the family of the Romanian citizen, as well as with the central authorities of the kidnapped persons’ resident states,” the MAE release reads, stiri.tvr.ro informs.

Pirates kidnapped 12 crew members from a Swiss cargo vessel in Nigerian waters on September 22. A Romanian was one of them. He was part of the crew of a ship under Swiss flag. The 12 crew members who were kidnapped by the pirates off the Nigerian coast were from Romania, the Philippines, Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Melescanu, activated the Crisis Cell to be in permanent contact with the local authorities.

Switzerland had also activated a crisis cell.

Massoel Shipping said that its vessel, MV Glarus (photo), was carrying wheat from Lagos to Port Harcourt when it was attacked on September 22. “The pirate gang boarded the Glarus by means of long ladders and cut the razor wire on deck,” the firm said.