Sailors from Hijacked Ship Return Home

The 15 Bulgarian sailors from a hijacked tanker, who were held hostage for 122 days finally returned home to Bulgaria Wednesday.

The Bulgarian-flagged chemical tanker, MV PANEGA, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on May 11 with 15 sailors onboard. The vessel was sailing through the recommended international transit corridor, en route from the Red Sea to India, when pirates boarded the ship. Poor weather conditions prevented the convoy escorting the tanker from spotting the pirates.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said the release was made possible through the actions of the Bulgarian government and the ship's owner Navigation Maritime Bulgare.

The ship’s owner is not releasing the terms of the ships release but did state back in May that the MV Panega was insured against piracy, and all ransom negotiations were to be handled and carried out by the insurance company.