Nigerian Pirates Take Hostages in Cargo Ship Robbery

In a Nigerian port, a cargo ship at anchor was robbed by armed pirates and at least two of the crew members were kidnapped in the attack. This is the latest in of several recent piracy incidents off Africa’s west coast; the Gulf of Guinea attacks are getting increasingly violent and extensive.

A report by ABC News states that the Tuesday attack consisted of eight Nigerian pirates with machine guns firing shots at a Curacao-flagged vessel that was anchored at Port Harcourt. They eventually boarded the ship, robbed the crew, and sped off in a small speedboat with the ship’s captain and chief engineer as hostages.

Another crewman was injured, and another has been reported as missing. It is unclear whether or not the missing crew member was also kidnapped as a hostage, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The Dutch-owned ship had a load of refrigerated cargo and had a total of 14 crew members onboard from Russia, Ukraine and the Philippines. Nigerian authorities are currently investigating the situation.

Over the past year, this specific region which curves from Liberia to Gabon has intensified from low-level robberies to hijackings and cargo theft. In 2012, there have already been a reported 7 attacks off Nigeria’s coast alone. Maritime officials are urging vessels to be cautious at all times and to aim for direct berthing at a port, or stay very far away from the coast.

The United Nations has called on Gulf of Guinea countries to jointly develop an anti-piracy strategy. Some West African states, particularly Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Senegal, are taking steps to police their waters, but officials said most do not have sufficient maritime capability beyond 100 nautical miles off the coast, according to ABC News.