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All 15 hostages released

All 15 crew members, who were abducted by pirates who boarded the'Davide B', have been released. It is assumed that a ransom was probably paid to secure their release. The tanker was approached on March 11 by pirates who succeeded not only in boarding but in capturing most if not all of the crew before the could take refuge in a citadel on the ship. As a result the pirates were able to abduct 15 of the crew who were taken ashore and held for over a month while negotiations were opened with the ship’s owners and management. According to De Poli’s CEO, Chiara de Poli, the seafarers have been in contact with their families since their release. All crew members were in a relatively good condition given the difficult circumstances they have been under. They will be receiving medical checks and are being repatriated to their home countries as soon as possible.

Seafarers repatriated after release

Ten Filipino crew members who were abducted from the 'Davide B.' off the coast of Benin on March 11, have arrived home on April 20. The safe return was made possible through close coordination between the Philippine government, through its Embassies in Abuja and The Hague, the Dutch owners of the tanker and the local manning agency Elburg Ship Management Philippines. All 15 crew members who were abducted from its vessel had been released and were safe. They have been receiving medical checks and were in a relatively good condition given the difficult circumstances they have been under in the last weeks. The crew consisted of Ukrainian, Romanian and Philippine nationals.

Hostages released

The 15 kidnapped crew members of the 'Davide B' have been released by pirates off the West African coast on April 14. They were taken hostage off the coast of Benin on March 11. According to the Dutch manager, shipping company De Poli Tankers, they were "in relatively good condition given the difficult circumstances in which they have been in recent weeks". Chiara de Poli, director of De Poli Tankers in Barendrecht, said he was relieved and delighted that the crew members can safely return to their families in Eastern Europe and the Philippines. "We admire our crew for their courage during this time and thank their families for their patience and resilience at a time of great uncertainty." The hostages, Philippines, Latvians, a Russian and a Lithuanian, have most likely been held in a pirate camp in Nigeria. It was unknown whether a ransom has been paid. The 'Davide B.' had sailed from Riga to the Nigerian port of Lagos to unload lubricating oil. The ship had agreed to a private escort with armed guards 200 nautical miles off the coast of Nigeria. However, the pirates struck just a little earlier 210 nautical miles off the coast, with the 21 crew taking refuge in the citadel. They called from there for help, but the escort ship arrived too late. The pirates broke open the citadel and took, among other things, all the officers with them. The six crew members who remained on the ship were unable to operate the tanker themselves. Locally hired officers sailed the 'Davide B.', accompanied by a private escort, to Ghana. This week, the ship will unload her cargo in Lagos with a new crew.