Tanker crew kidnapped by pirates off Nigeria

Nineteen crewmembers of a commercial oil tanker were kidnapped by armed men who had boarded their vessel in the waters off Nigeria on Tuesday, December 3.

Navios Tankers Management’s very large crude carrier (VLCC) Nave Constellation had left the Bonny Island Offshore Terminal and was underway at 13.3 knots when it was boarded by the perpetrators approximately 100 nautical miles south of Nigeria’s Bonny Island.

The 19 abducted crewmembers have been identified as 18 Indian nationals and one Turkish national.

Seven of Nave Constellation‘s crew were not abducted in the raid. They have since manoeuvred the tanker to a safe position near the area of the incident pending the arrival of local security forces.

London-based security consultancy firm Dryad Global said it is the fourth time this year that a high seas kidnapping incident occurred within 30 nautical miles of the southeastern boundary of Nigeria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).


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