New Delhi, Feb 6: Oil tanker of MT Marine Express, which was hijacked off the Coast of Guinea in West Africa, has been released. The 22 Indian sailors on board have been rescued safely, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. A ransom was reportedly paid to the hijackers in lieu of the vessel's release.

The MT Marine Express ship was part-laden with 13,500 tonnes of gasoline. The ship went off the radar on 03:30 hrs (UTC) on February 1. The last location was traced off the coast of Benin.

The Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, had reached out to the counterparts in Nigeria and Benin to expedite the rescue operation. The Ministry of External Affairs was also overseeing the developments closely.

Confirming the vessel's release, EAM Sushma Swaraj said, "I am happy to inform that Merchant Ship Marine Express with 22 Indian nationals on board has been released."

DG Shipping Malini Shankar told news agency PTI, "The ship, 'Marine Express', has been released and is back under the command of the captain."

The 22 Indians on board were recruited by manning agency Anglo-Eastern Anglo Eastern Shipping. Confirming the release of the boat, the company tweeted, "We are delighted to report that the MT Marine Express, which was hijacked by pirates on Feb 1, is now back under the command of the captain & crew since ~04:00 SG time today. All crew members are reported to be safe & well & the cargo intact. We thank you all for your well wishes."

The hijacking incident comes days after another vessel, "MT Barret", was hijacked off the coast of Benin in January. The ship was successfully rescued after paying ransom to the hijackers. The 22 crew members on its board were mostly Indians.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 06, 2018 02:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).