Pirates Abduct Four Crewmembers Off Nigeria

On the night of November 26, a team of pirates in two boats boarded the Cyprus-registered ship Szafir and kidnapped her captain and four crewmembers, including other officers.

At the time of the attack, the 6,000 gt geared freighter Szafir was anchored some 35 nm off the coast of Nigeria, according to Polish operator EuroAfrica.

The Cyprus-flagged Szafir was en route from Antwerp to Port Harcourt with a load of cranes and other items. In addition to the kidnapping, the pirates looted the vessel's accomodations.

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a news conference that the unnamed kidnappers had not yet contacted authorities with demands. "The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe," Waszczykowski said.

EuroAfrica reported that the Szafir sustained damage when the attackers opened fire, but that no traces of blood were found aboard, nor any casualties reported.

The wife of one crewmember told Polish media that “more than a dozen sailors locked themselves in the engine room and turned off the engines” in an attempt to hold off the pirates.

A Polish government spokesman told media that “this is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria,” and indicated that Polish authorities would stay in contact with their Nigerian counterparts but would not get involved unless asked.

Nigerian government officials were not available to comment on the attack as of Friday, media report.

"These pirates are not out to kill anyone. They just want money. Poland and Nigeria don't have any diplomatic problems so they are purely after money," said Michael Uwaka, CEO of Melka Africa Limited, speaking to local media.

This is the second major attack on a commercial vessel near Nigeria in a month. Pirates kidnapped four crewmembers of a Comoros-flagged vessel off Port Harcourt in late October; two were released November 16.

Only eleven attacks on merchant vessels near Nigeria were reported in the first half of 2015, down by half from 2013, but Nigerian pirates have also been implicated in recent attacks off the coasts of other West African nations.