05/12/2019 17:22
Pirates kidnap 19 crew members from Greek tanker off Nigeria
Pirates have kidnapped 19 crew members from a crude oil tanker off Nigeria in an area where acts of piracy are on the rise, an official with the ship’s operator said on Thursday.
The loaded vessel, the Nave Constellation, was attacked 77 nautical miles off Bonny Island on Tuesday and 18 Indians and one Turk from the crew were seized, the official said.
Seven other crew members remain on board the vessel. Neither the vessel nor the cargo were damaged, the official said.
The shipping industry has warned in recent months about the increasing dangers faced by seafarers sailing through the Gulf of Guinean, particularly around Nigeria, including kidnappings by pirate gangs.
The International Maritime Bureau said in October the Gulf of Guinea accounted for more than four fifths of crew kidnappings globally.