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The pirates kidnapped the 12 crew members from a Swiss freighter off Nigeria.
(AP Photo / Farah Abdi Warsameh, file)
A group of pirates attacked Saturday a Swiss freighter off the coast of Nigeria, abducting 12 crew members in an area that has seen dozens of similar attacks so far this year.
The MV Glarus was carrying wheat between Lagos and Port Harcourt when it was attacked and shipped by pirates, who took 12 of the 19 crew members, said the ship's operator.
The pirates approached the ship about 45 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island using long ladders and cut barbed wire on deck to get to the bridge, where they destroyed much of the equipment. communication of the ship.
"The company is working with the authorities and specialists to ensure the quick and secure release of those who are detained," Massoel Shipping said in a statement to Sky News.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that none of the abductees came from Switzerland and did not reveal the nationalities. The Nigerian navy told Reuters it was investigating the incident.
PIRATE ATTACK OFF SURINAME SHEETS 16 MISSING AND FEARED DEAD
Kidnapping for ransom has become a major problem in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region where the country's oil operations are based.
In August, security firm EOS Risk Group said that 34 Nigerian hacker attacks had been carried out against commercial and fishing vessels in the Gulf of Guinea between January and June, according to Sky News.
The firm warned that piracy is expected to increase in the period leading up to the country's general election in February, as instability in the region develops.
