Pirates free 22 Indians in Marine Express oil tanker in Gulf of Guinea

Pirates have freed all 22 Indians from the oil tanker "Marine Express" in theGulf of Guinea.

"All crew members are reported to be safe and well and the cargo remains on board," the owner of the ship Hong Kong-based Anglo-Easternsaid in a statement.

The Marine Express tanker was missing in the Gulf of Guinea after contact was lost in Benin on Friday.

Earlier, External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had spoken to Nigeria's foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama after fears of the tanker being hijacked.

The ship had gone missing less than a month after another vessel, "MT Barret", disappeared off the coast of Benin in January.

The vessel, MT Marine Express is the second ship to have lost in the recent months.