Product Tanker MV MOTIVATOR has been released from pirate control.
The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, MT Motivator, which was pirated in the Southern Red Sea on 4 July 2010 with a crew of 18 Filipino nationals, was released 16 January in the early morning, approximately 160NM Southwest of the island of Socotra, near to the Somali coast. An EUNAVFOR warship was on hand to assist the crew immediately after their release.
The ship’s Greek owners stated that the crew are as well as could be expected given the circumstances.
The crew from the French warship, FS Jacoubet, and the helicopter from Spanish warship, SPS Canarias, assisted the vessel on release.
The crew were pressed into sailing the vessel whilst the pirates used it as a 'Mothership' to conduct long range attacks in the Indian Ocean, predominantly to the North of the region, including for the hijack of MV EMS River.
The vessel had reported coming under small arms fire in the northern Bab-el-Mandeb area of the Red Sea before losing contact on 4 July whilst carrying a cargo of lubricating oil. No details of any ransom demand or payment has been made available to date.
MT Motivator (Source: EUNAVFOR.eu)
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