Five Kidnapped from Polish Cargo Ship Off Nigeria
WARSAW, Nov 27 (Reuters) – Pirates attacked a Polish-owned cargo vessel off the Nigerian coast and kidnapped its captain and 4 crew, Polish authorities stated, within the first documented incident of its variety in nearly 12 months in a number of the deadliest delivery lanes on earth.
The Cyprus-registered Szafir was boarded in a single day by armed males in two boats, who looted the ten,000-tonne container ship, operator EuroAfrica stated.
The as but unidentified kidnappers had made no calls for up to now and Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, its Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski instructed a information convention in Warsaw on Friday.
The kidnapped sailors additionally included different officers, which made the ship unimaginable to navigate. “The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe… The ship suffered some damage,” Waszczykowski stated.
The ship was anchored round 30 nautical miles (56 km) off the Nigerian coast, and the operator was arranging for a brand new crew to take it again to port.
Nigerian authorities weren’t instantly out there for remark.
Security consultants class the waters off Nigeria as a number of the deadliest on earth, with pirates primarily based within the nation usually concentrating on oil tankers in addition to hostages to ransom.
But the area has seen no documented assaults since February when a crude service was boarded, with the ship’s Greek deputy captain killed and three crew members taken hostage.
Polish Maritime Minister Marek Grobarczyk stated the protection procedures of all Polish corporations working within the space can be reviewed to make sure sailors’ security. (Reporting by Wiktor Szary; extra reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha in Lagos; Writing by Marcin Goclowski and Wiktor Szary; enhancing by John Stonestreet)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.
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