LOUIZA

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Tanker released, cargo stolen

The "Mattheos I" was released on Sep 24, 2011. The crew of 23 was fine. No ransom was paid, but the ship's fuel cargo partially pumped out. The ship was off the Nigerian coast after the release. There were five Spaniards, two Ukrainians an 16 Philipinos on board.

Crew said to be unharmed

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs on Sep 16, 2011, said that the 23-member crew of the "Mattheos 1" was reported to be safe so far. At least 14 crew members were Filipinos, five Spaniards and two Ukrainians were also aboard. The ship's local recruitment agency reported the crew was safe and their families have been informed about the hijacking. The Spanish owners on Sep 15 said that they had not heard from the ship since it was hijacked the previous day as it idled 62 nautical miles from Benin's capital Cotonou, and was hoping pirates just want to steal the crude rather than seek ransom for the crew.

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On Sep 14 2011 off the coast of Benin pirates attacked and captured m/t Mattheos I laden with oil, during the transfer of its cargo to a Norwegian-flagged vessel. The International Maritime Bureau as usual, didn’t reveal the names of the vessels and details, and public was in a dark till Serghios Serghiou, the director of the Department of Merchant Shipping in Cyprus, identified the vessel as the Mattheos I, which had 23 crew with Filipino ratings and Spanish, Peruvian and Ukrainian officers. Pirates also boarded the second vessel, but that ship’s crew members locked themselves in the engine room, and the pirates left. Benin and Nigerian pirates capture vessels for 1-3 days, they can’t keep vessels in captivity like their Somali fellow villains. Usually they free vessels almost immediately, after taking some hostages from crews, and later releasing them for a ransom.