Two people were kidnapped by pirates from a Dutch reefer ship, the Water Phoenix, off the coast of Nigeria yesterday.
The Water Phoenix is a part of the Groningen Seatrade fleet, a refrigerated and frozen shipping company. A spokesperson for the company told NPO it’s “a particularly worrisome situation.”
The 16 remaining crew members are unharmed. The ship has now arrived at its intended destination of Lagos under navy escort.
Working on a safe return
Of the two kidnapped men, one is from Russia and the other is from the Philippines. Their families have been contacted.
A Seatrade team is trying to remain in contact with the kidnapped crew members, reports RTV Noord Nieuws. They are also in close contact with the Nigerian authorities.
Not uncommon
This isn’t the first time an attack like this has taken place off the Nigerian coast. In 2018, four crew members were kidnapped and detained for two and a half weeks. Even then, the shipping company says the number of kidnappings was cause for concern.
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