After 19 days in captivity, the 19 crew members who were kidnapped offshore Nigeria, from a crude oil tanker, Nave Constellation, have been released. The owners and managers of the ship confirmed that the abducted crew members including 18 Indian nationals and one Turkish national, have been released and are safe. All those taken are in good spirits and well, given the circumstances of their time in captivity. The criminal gang kidnapped 19 of those on board, taking them as hostages; while seven seafarers remained on board and were instructed to take the tanker to a safe position to await the arrival of a security vessel and other support craft. The incident was shortly followed by the kidnapping of an even larger group of seafarers.

Source: The Guardian December 24, 2019 03:45 UTC