The Togolese navy said “armed individuals” had stormed the Elka Aristotle tanker some 10 nautical miles off the coast of the capital Lome, even with guards trying to repel the raid.
Pirates attacked the Elka Aristotle on November 4, taking four of the ship’s 24-member crew hostage. The Gulf of Guinea, where the incident occurred, is considered a high-risk area by the International Maritime Bureau. Greek Merchant Marine Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis welcomed the release of the Greek crewman, cadet engineer Dimitris Giatis, saying he would invite him to the ministry “at the first opportunity” to find out what happened during his roughly 40-day captivity.
Plakiotakis said formal procedures for Giatis’ repatriation were being completed and he would be back in Greece “very soon.”Attacks on ships and the abductions of crew for ransom have become more frequent, especially along the Nigerian coast. The pirates sometimes divert ships for several days, long enough to plunder the cargo and demand huge ransoms before freeing the crew.Nine sailors abducted by suspected pirates from a Norwegian-owned cargo ship off Benin’s port of Cotonou were also freed this week after 35 days in captivity.
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