The City of Xiamen. Photo: Sunship
Nigerian pirates have released five crewmembers kidnapped from the City of Xiamen containership during an April 25 attack about 100 miles off Nigeria’s coast.
The Germany-based owner of the vessel, Sunship Schiffahrtskontor KG, confirmed the release of the hostages saying that the five men – four Polish and one Russian – were released on May 11 and had already “returned to their own countries and reunited with their families.”
It is unclear if a ransom was paid for their release.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said that during the attack, 14 heavily armed pirates stormed the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged City of Xiamen, breaching the citadel where the crew was hiding. The pirates took five crew captive before escaping with cash, the IMB report said.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
Global piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships have risen sharply in the first quarter of 2025, with a notable 35% increase compared to the same period last year. The...
Major maritime industry associations have jointly released a comprehensive security guidebook aimed at protecting vessels and crews amid escalating global maritime threats. The new Best Management Practices (BMP) for Maritime...
By Christian Akorlie ACCRA, March 29 (Reuters) – Three Chinese nationals are missing from Ghanaian waters and believed to have been kidnapped after a “suspected pirate attack” on Thursday on their Ghanaian-registered...
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
