The six-week rescue operation of two Lithuanians taken hostage by pirates has been successfully completed, the Government Chancellery and the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) have informed.
The information was also confirmed by the Danish company Monjasa, the owner of the pirate-hijacked ship Monjasa Reformer. The two Lithuanian men, born in 1958 and 1995, who were held captive by the pirates for six weeks, are on their way home.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of NKVC, said the ransom was paid for the release of the Lithuanians but did not disclose the amount.
“There were 16 people in total. Usually, pirates select the main ones according to the hierarchy and transport them to land, leaving the others on board,” Vitkauskas told LRT RADIO.
“There were 10 people left on board, and they were found and rescued. The others were taken by boat to land, kept there and then the negotiations started,” he added. The Lithuanian men were among those taken to land.
In line with the global practice for such events, no information was provided on the progress of the operation in order not to jeopardise the rescue efforts, according to the press release.
Although the information about the operation was leaked by third parties, the international hostage management team was able to successfully complete the rescue efforts, it added.
Further reading
On March 26, the Lithuanian authorities were informed about the attack on the Liberian-flagged tanker Monjasa Reformer some 140 nautical miles west of Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. The pirates hijacked the vessel and took 16 crew members hostage.
On March 27, a special working group composed of representatives of various Lithuanian institutions was convened at NKVC to coordinate the rescue of Lithuanian citizens.
The Lithuanian authorities cooperated with Interpol, other international organisations and foreign partners to ensure that the Lithuanian citizens were freed as soon as possible and brought home safely.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
