Nigerian Pirates Release Hostage

The M/T Adour. Image courtesy Sea-tankers Shipping

Pirates in Nigeria have released a French sailor kidnapped from a tanker on June 13 off the coast of Nigeria, a military commander told Reuters.

Pirates attacked the M/T Adour, a French-flagged product/chemical tanker owned by Sea-tankers Shipping, on June 13 about 30 miles off the coast of Togo, taking the man hostage.

Reuters says the man was taken to a small village in Bayelsa state in the delta, but villagers alerted the authorities. The pirates fled before the authorities could mount a rescue operation, leaving behind the hostage, the report says.