NEW DELHI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- India Tuesday said that a merchant ship that went missing off the coast of West Africa with 22 of its nationals on board, has been released.
"I am happy to inform that Merchant Ship Marine Express with 22 Indian nationals on board has been released. We thank Governments of Nigeria and Benin for their help and support," Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
India has urged both Nigeria and Benin to help locate the ship that went missing off West Africa coast in the Gulf of Guinea on February 1, fuelling fears of a hijack.
The External Affairs Minister said late Monday night that she personally spoke to her Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama who assured her of all assistance in locating the oil tanker Marine Express.
The Panama-registered tanker, owned by the Mumbai-based Anglo Eastern shipping company, has been carrying gasoline worth nearly 8 million U.S. dollars when it lost contact on Feb. 1.
Anglo Eastern Ship Management has said that the crew's safety is its top priority.
The region near Benin, especially the Gulf of Guinea, is known to be pirate-infested, and several ships have been targeted. In January, another ship went missing off the coast of Benin and two days later, it was confirmed to have been hijacked.
