Pirates free Greek-managed tanker off western Africa
Greek ship management company says pirates off western Africa have released one of its tankers after holding it for three days, and all 24 crew members are in good health, Associated Press reports.
Grace Management S.A. says the captain of the Bahamas-flagged Orfeas reported that the vessel was released earlier Tuesday.
The company lost contact on Saturday with the ship, which was carrying 32,000 metric tons (35,000 tons) of gasoline, off Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. It had sailed south and was believed to have been heading to Lagos, Nigeria.
It was unclear how much of the cargo was stolen.
Pirates infest waters off West Africa and have drastically increased attacks recently. Usually, they release the vessels and crews after stealing the cargo, without taking the trouble to demand ransom.
