West Africa Pirates Kidnap 3 From UK Ship
Original Source: Herald Sun
PIRATES off the coast of Nigeria and Cameroon have attacked a ship and kidnapped three sailors in the increasingly dangerous waters of the Gulf of Guinea.
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MV Esther C Attacked; 3 Kidnapped. Photo: FleetMon.com
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A statement from Carisbrooke Shipping of the United Kingdom said pirates boarded the MV Esther C late on Thursday night [Feb 7]. The company said the pirates stole personal belongings before leaving taking three sailors (reportedly 2 Russian and 1 Romanian).
The remaining crew of the MV Esther C, a UK-flagged ship, sailed away from the site of the attack, the company said.
"The safety and well-being of these seafarers is the company's absolute priority and all possible steps to secure their return are being taken," the company said on Friday.
“The nine [Filipino] crew members remaining on board the vessel are reported to be safe and well.”
A spokesman for Nigeria’s navy said he could not immediately comment on the attack.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said two of the kidnapped sailors were Russian. The company would not give the nationality of the third hostage.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts. In 2012 London-based Lloyd's Market Association - an umbrella group of insurers - put the waters around Nigeria in the same risk category as Somalia.
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