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The last 26 sailors hostages of the Somali pirates free!

(credit: OBP)
(credit: OBP)

(BRUSSELS2) After four and a half years of detention, the 26 sailors of the FV Naham 3 were released, Saturday morning (October 22), announcement Ocean Beyond Piracy (OBP). They are the last 'international' hostages held by Somali pirates to be freed.

Malnourished and detained in deplorable conditions but still safe and sound

« They are currently in the safe hands of the Galmudug authorities and will be repatriated [to Kenya] using a UN humanitarian flight and then to their country of origin. “, underlined John Steed the coordinator of OBP. " They spent more than four and a half years in deplorable conditions away from their families. They were all malnourished. Four of them are currently receiving medical treatment from a doctor in Galcayo. " Corn " given their ordeal, they are in reasonable condition »

Tracking

Le FV Naham 3, a Thai fishing vessel flying the flag of Oman was captured on March 20, 2012 in the Indian Ocean about 65 nautical miles south of the Seychelles. He had been tracked by EUNAVFOR Atalanta maritime patrol aircraft. Thus in August 2013, a Spanish patrol plane from the European anti-piracy force observed that the fishing boat was moved from its initial anchorage to a Somali beach in the Galmudug region (read: FV Naham 3, spotted without hostages).

One of the longest detentions

On board were Taiwanese, Filipino, Indonesian, Chinese and Vietnamese sailors. Three sailors died: one during the attack, two during their captivity. This is one of the longest observed detentions of sailors in the hands of Somali pirates. According to the B2 database, the 4 sailors of the Prantalay 12 were thus detained for 1774 days, those of the F.V. Naham have been 1671 days. The last 7 sailors held hostage MT Asphalt Venture had been 1463 days.

Asian sailors paid a heavier price than Westerners

In general, it is the Asian sailors (Bengalis, Indians, Thais, Vietnamese, etc.), who have paid the heaviest price in terms of detention time. Generally abandoned by their shipowners or owners, they languished in often difficult conditions in Somalia. Western sailors were generally released faster. The longest duration observed was for Danish sailors in the MV Leopard who remained more than 800 days in detention.

The decrease in pirate attacks

After a sharp increase in pirate attacks between 2008 and 2011, continued patrols at sea by ships of several naval forces (European, NATO, national...) such as self-protection measures on board merchant ships (+ private guards) and action ashore, attacks by Somalia-based pirates have currently been deleted “We report to the HQ of the European operation Atalanta.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

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Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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