The crew of the boxship Mozart who were kidnapped in a brutal attack in the Gulf of Guinea two weeks ago have been freed. According to a statement from the ship’s manager Borealis Maritime, the 15 Turkish citizens are all safe in Nigeria and will be returning home as soon as arrangements can be completed.
The attack on the Mozart occurred on January 23 while she was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria to Cape Town, South Africa. Reports at the time said that the assault was an unusually well-coordinated effort with the pirates boarding the ship and able to breach the vessel’s citadel. During the assault, one crew member, an Azerbaijani engineer, was killed. The pirates also caused damage aboard the ship including destroying bridge equipment.
The pirates departed the boxship taking 15 members of the crew hostage and leaving three to navigate the ship to port in Gabon. The Turkish shipowner, Boden Denizcilik, reported that it had quickly been able to contact the kidnappers and confirmed that the crew was unharmed. They retained the services of a negotiator to obtain the freedom of the crew.