Pirates release hijacked oil tanker and crew

The 24 Indian crew members who were taken hostage after their vessel was hijacked off the Gabon coast last week are safe after pirates released the oil tanker early yesterday morning. Pirates seized the Maltese-flagged Cotton oil tanker on July 15 near Gabon's Port Gentil. The Turkish operator of the cargo vessel, Geden Lines, announced that the pirates had left the vessel in the early hours of Monday morning and its captain had resumed command. "The master has confirmed that all 24 Indian crew members are safe and in good condition," Geden Lines said in a statement. "The vessel is now on her way to a secure port." A report by the news agency Reuters says a surge in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region including waters off Nigeria, Africa's No. 1 oil producer and a significant source of cocoa and metals for world markets, is jacking up costs for shipping firms.