OMORFI
Course/Position
Latest ports
Latest Waypoints
Latest news
Hostages released weeks after kidnapping
Nine Filipino crew members of the 'Bonita' were released on Dec 6. They had been kidnapped on Nov 2, when the ship was anchored off the coast of Benin. They are all found to be in good health after medical examinations and then flown to their home country where they were reunited with their families. Øystein Beisland, the chief executive of J. J. Ugland, thanked everyone who contributed that the difficult situation was resolved.
Bonita left Cotonou with new crew
The 'Bonita' left Cotonou again on Nov 14, bound to Santos with an ETA as of Sep 27, with a new crew. During the weekend, the crew members who were not taken hostage were reunited with their families in Manila. They have been together at a hotel for medical examination and debriefing. The Senior Crewing Manager Mr. Vidar Røinås from Ugland headquarters in Grimstad had helped facilitate crew changes for the crew on board who wished to reunite with their families, and new crew members went on board. The families of the nine crewmembers taken off MV Bonita were gathered in the Philippines. The meeting was organized by the company which has been Ugland’s crewing agency in the Philippines for several decades. Ugland together with the crewing agency was providing help and care for the families. The Benin police was investigating the incident on board the vessel on Nov 2. Ugland fully cooperated and supported this investigation. The effort to bring our nine crew members to safety, was the main priority. Report with photos: http://www.jjuc.no/emergency
Nine crew members taken hostage by pirates off Cotonou
The 'Bonita' was attacked by pirates in the early morning of Nov 2, 2019, which was anchored in position 06 15N 002 33E in theGulf of Guinea 15 kilometers off the port entrance of Cotonou in Benin. The pirates kidnapped nine Filipino crew members, among them the captain. Ither crew members alerted authorities. AT 2 p.m. the bulkcarrier docked in the port city, where police began to interrogate the remaining crew. The families of the kidnapped seamen have been notified and the company's crisis team was handling the situation and had contact with the authorities.
Upload News