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Russian diplomats in Gabon hope to contact with sailors from Pantelena tanker soon

There are 19 crew members onboard the tanker: 17 Georgians and two Russians

RABAT, August 28. /TASS/. Russian sailors from Greek tanker Pantelena, which is currently at the port of Togo’s capital Lome, are in good health and Russian diplomats in Gabon hope to contact with them soon, the Embassy told TASS.

"The sailors remain onboard the vessel, Togo’s authorities are dealing with them now," a spokesman said. "Now the Russians’ condition is good, they are in good health."

"We hope that soon contact with the sailors will be established," he said, noting that talks on bringing them back home are underway.

There are 19 crew members onboard the tanker: 17 Georgians and two Russians.

Communication with the vessel owned by Greek company Lotus Shipping was lost on August 14 at a distance of 74 kilometers from the port of Owendo (close to Libreville, Gabon). The navies of the regional countries were involved in the search operation. The ship reached the port of Lome on August 24.

The tanker’s captain Lasha Gadelia earlier told the Public Television of Georgia that the vessel was captured by pirates early on August 14. The crew members had been held for nine days.