The owner of the ship was Schiffahrts-Gesellschaft MS "HANSA STAVANGER" Co. KG.

This led the German Federal Ministry of Defence to abort the planned attack on the freighter and the GSG-9 unit returned to their base of operations at the airport of Mombasa, Kenya.

The government of Tuvalu indicated it was incapable of paying, and expressed great concern for its citizens.

[6][7] On 3 August 2009 the ship was released after a ransom of US$2 million dollars was paid, and was escorted into port in Mombasa, Kenya by the German frigates Brandenburg and Rheinland-Pfalz.

Kotiuk, Krzysztof (2010), Frohe Ostern Hansa Stavanger: 121 Tage in der Hand von Piraten (in German), Bielefeld: Delius Klasing, p. 219, ISBN 978-3-7688-3129-1