Saturday, August 08, 2009
The pirates released the 20,000 tonne Hansa Stavanger on Monday after holding its crew captive for four months.
"The pirates took over all the belongings of the 24 crew members including toothbrushes," said Torsten Ites, captain of the German navy's Brandenburg frigate, which arrived on the scene within 12 minutes of the pirates' departure.
"We had to provide medical assistance to the crew members including dental services as they had stayed for some time without brushing their teeth," he said.
The crew were in good health and after "putting a smile on their faces" were looking foward to being reunited with their families, he added.
The vessel, which arrived back in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on Friday, was seized in April around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles.
Ites said the pirates appeared to have vanished into thin air despite the frigates' prompt arrival and a helicopter search operation.
Source: AFP, Aug 08, 2009