Somali Pirates Release Naham 3 Crew after Four Years
Image Courtesy: EUNAVFORThe remaining crew members of the fishing vessel Naham 3, which were hijacked by Somali pirates in 2012, were released from captivity on October 22, according to Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP).
“They are currently in the safe hands of the Galmudug authorities and will be repatriated using a UN Humanitarian flight shortly and then on to their home countries. They are reported to be in reasonable condition considering their ordeal. They are all malnourished,” John Steed the Coordinator of the Hostage Support Partners (HSP) for Oceans Beyond Piracy, said.
The crewmembers of the Oman-flagged fishing vessel were hijacked in March 2012 some 65 nautical miles south of the Seychelles.
Of the original 29-member crew, one person died during the hijacking and two more succumbed to illness during their captivity. The remaining 26 crewmembers spent much of their captivity on land in Somalia.
Consisting of members from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, the crew was held for 1672 days.
OBP said that they are the second longest held hostages by Somali pirates after the 4 hostages of the FV Prantalay 12, released last year by the HSP.
The Naham 3 was originally tethered to another hijacked vessel, the MV Albedo, which was taken in November 2010 and released by the HSP in 2013. When the MV Albedo began to sink with its crew onboard, the crew of the Naham 3 assisted in their rescue.
Over a year after its capture, the Naham 3 sank and the crew was brought ashore.
“The release of the Naham 3 crew represents the end of captivity for the last remaining seafarers taken hostage during the height of Somali piracy,” according to OBP.
