Tbilisi (GBC) – Nine Georgian sailors who were captured by Nigerian pirates on April 30 will be transported to Georgia by a special flight in several days.

“We congratulate our sailors on their liberation and we thank families of the captured sailors who showed exemplar patience in this heavy situation and assisted us in our efforts”, Tamar Ioseliani, head of the Maritime Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development noted.

Together with the ship owners, the Georgian Authorities have used all mechanisms and Georgian sailors have been liberated after a 20-day hostage. In several dayss they will be transported to Georgia. At this stage, we are passing several procedures in Nigeria to get due permits and organize transportation issues.

Both the Foreign Ministry and the Maritime Transport Agency have joined the process, Tamar Ioseliani noted.

‘We stay in tight communication with the state structures of Nigeria. They are taking all necessary measures to complete the process as soon as possible and pass all formal procedures in the shortest period. I would like to stress that the ship owner company has made immeasurable contribution to liberating our sailors and we express gratitude for their contribution”, Tamar Ioseliani pointed out.