Crew of a Greek ship which was hijacked deep in the Indian Ocean on Saturday are once again in control of the vessel.
The circumstances of the retaking of the 4,281-dwt Lugela (built 1984), confirmed to TradeWinds by its Greek operator, remain a mystery, however, but engine failure is said to have played a part.
The ship's all-Ukrainian crew are safe, the spoksperson at Piraeus-based TDM Carriers said on Monday.
The Greek operator received a call from the master of the Panama-flagged ship around midnight on Sunday Greek time to say that the crew was back in control of the vessel.
The TDM spokesperson would not, however, reveal any details of the ship's release, saying only that crew "followed the instructions of the company in regard to safety". Usually if pirates abandon a vessel shortly after its hijacking it is because the crew have managed to lock themselves in a safe compartment onboard. Later, Ukraine's foreign ministry reported that the crew had in fact locked themselves in the engine room forcing the pirates to abandon ship.
However, when counter-piracy force EU NAVFOR revealed the hijacking at the weekend it wrote that the ship had altered course and begun moving towards the Somali coast. This would seem to suggest that one or more crew members were still at the helm.
A knowledgable source said the ship had at some stage developed engine failure. As the ship had altered course after being boarded by pirates it is assumed this failure occured after the hijacking and may have been part of the Greek operator's management practice for dealing with a piracy situation.
It is not known if there are any naval assets currently assisting the Lugela which EU NAVFOR said on Monday is "now underway to a place of safety". Other reports indicate it has diverted to Mumbai for an inspection.
The amount of crew members onboard had been thrown into doubt as EU NAVFOR originally gave the number as 12 but said on Monday there are 11. However, the force later confirmed there are 12 onboard.
The general cargoship was en route to Mauritius with a cargo of steel bars and wires.
