Abuja: A Nigerian court has acquitted the sailors in Norwegian vessel MT Heroic Idun, who were jailed for crude oil piracy on Saturday, reported Manorama News. The vessel had 26 sailors including 16 Indians. Among the 16, three were Malayalis. The other sailors were from Sri Lanka, Poland and Philippines.
They were detained in August last year by navy personnel of West African nation of Guinea, suspecting their involvement in crude oil piracy. The sailors sent their last messages to their families in November, 2022.
The sailors were detained by the Guinean Navy at the behest of Nigeria.
V Vijith from Kollam, the brother of Vismaya who died by suicide following dowry harassment at Sasthamkotta last June, was among the sailors. The other Malayalis were Sanu Jose and Milton Deoth from Kochi.
The ship, owned by Norway's OSM Maritime Group, reached Nigeria's AKPO Terminal on August 8 to fill crude oil. The ship anchored on the international maritime boundary of Nigeria after they were informed of some delay due to technical issues.
When they noticed an approaching boat, they moved toward the international maritime channel. However, the Guinea Navy detained the ship and the crew the next day, suspecting that the vessel had arrived to steal oil.
The sailors were taken into custody and interrogated as per the instruction of the Nigerian navy. Oil piracy is rampant in the Gulf of Guinea.
