The crew member of the hijacked vessel MV Hannibal II, who was released by pirates on the 17th of December, has arrived at the Bouffard hospital in Djibouti after being treated for a suspected appendicitis.
The crew member was seen by medical staff on board the EUNAVFOR German warship FGS HAMBURG. He is now described as being stable and very happy to be free.
Asked about his feelings on being released, the crewmember stated:
“I am very jubilant to be here on board of HAMBURG and being free and safe after all. I want to thank the crews of PATTANI and HAMBURG very much having been rescued by them.” Going on to describe his time as a hostage, he added: “We were all kept the whole time on the bridge of our ship. The only possibilities to move were the few minutes when we were allowed to go to eat. Most of the times we got some rice with fish.”
His first telephone call as a free man was to his mother, who was touched to hear from her son after 40 days of uncertainty. He is believed to be the first hostage to be released by pirates without a ransom demand being met.
Previous article: http://eunavfor.eu/news/sick-crewmember-lifted-pirated-vessel-joint-naval-operation/
EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EU NAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EU NAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
The crew member was seen by medical staff on board the EUNAVFOR German warship FGS HAMBURG. He is now described as being stable and very happy to be free.
Asked about his feelings on being released, the crewmember stated:
“I am very jubilant to be here on board of HAMBURG and being free and safe after all. I want to thank the crews of PATTANI and HAMBURG very much having been rescued by them.” Going on to describe his time as a hostage, he added: “We were all kept the whole time on the bridge of our ship. The only possibilities to move were the few minutes when we were allowed to go to eat. Most of the times we got some rice with fish.”
His first telephone call as a free man was to his mother, who was touched to hear from her son after 40 days of uncertainty. He is believed to be the first hostage to be released by pirates without a ransom demand being met.
Previous article: http://eunavfor.eu/news/sick-crewmember-lifted-pirated-vessel-joint-naval-operation/
EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EU NAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EU NAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.