PRETORIA, September 18. /TASS/. Owners of the ship that Russian sailors have previously been abducted from engaged in negotiations on their release with the pirates, Russian embassy in Cameroon told TASS Friday.
"Negotiations are underway," a Russian diplomat said. "The ship owner has contacted the abductors. The embassy, on its part, remains in contact with the ship owner."
The diplomat underscored that the negotiations are confidential.
Previously, human right ombudsman in Sevastopol Pavel Butsay told TASS that the pirates, who abducted Russian citizens in the Gulf of Guinea, called their families and demanded ransom, threatening to kill the sailors. According to Butsay, citizens of Crimea and Sevastopol have been abducted from various ships near Equatorial Guinea in May.
On May 9, two ships were attacked in the waters of Equatorial Guinea; three Russians have been abducted as a result. One Russian was taken from the Rio Mitong cargo ship near the port of Malabo; two more were taken from the Djibloho research vessel near the port of Luba.
On September 11, Russian Foreign Ministry reminded that security measures must be taken during navigation in the Gulf of Guinea. The gulf that stretches from Senegal to Angola has become the most dangerous region of the world from the piracy standpoint: 45% of all pirate cases in the world took place in this gulf.