Five Polish sailors have allegedly been Kidnapped, following the hijacking of a cargo vessel by Nigerian pirates.
Nigerian pirates allegedly kidnapped five seamen from a Polish cargo ship.
The cargo ship belonging to a Polish company was reportedly attacked off the Nigerian coast.
Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski told a newsmen that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not get involved directly unless asked to do so.
The Polish spokesman said: “This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria.”
Waszczykowski made the Polish stand known at conference which held on Friday, November 27.
He informed that the alleged kidnappers had made no demands so far, adding that no traces of blood were discovered on the ship, which operates under the Cyprus flag.
According to the foreign minister, the kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.
He said: “The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe… The ship suffered some damage.”
Marek Grobarczyk, the Polish maritime minister said the area where the kidnapping took place was not traditionally frequented by pirates.
Following the incident, Grobarczyk opined that the safety procedures of all Polish companies within the area would be reviewed to ensure sailors’ safety.
Reuters reports that the ship is currently anchored around 30 sea miles – roughly 56 kilometers – off the Nigerian coast, with the operator arranging for a new crew to take it back to port.
The cargo ship which was carrying 16 Poles is named Szafir (Sapphire), it had been sailing from the Belgian port of Antwerp to Onne in Nigeria.
It belongs to Polish company Euroafrica, based in Szczecin, north western Poland.
Speaking to Poland’s TVN 24 station, a woman whose husband is apparently on-board the vessel said: “more than a dozen sailors locked themselves in the engine room and turned off the engines.”
As of the time of this report, the Nigerian navy was still engaged in a rescue operation.
There are no records of lives lost or people injured from the commandeering.
In the same vein, seafarers and people who do business along the Bonny waterways, have raised alarm that their lives are in danger over incessant attacks pirates. The sea users claim that there is an increase in the rate of robberies upon the Boony seaway.
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