OpeOluwani Akintayo, with agency report
Lagos — Pirates on Thursday, kidnapped 19 members of an oil tanker crew off Bonny Island, according to a report by Reuters.
An official with the ship’s operator, who made the information known to the news medium, said the loaded vessel was attacked 77 nautical miles off Bonny island late on Dec. 3 and the crew – 18 Indians and one Turk – were seized.
Another seven crew members were said to remain on board the vessel, and neither the vessel nor the cargo were damaged.
The Hong Kong-flagged supertanker Nave Constellation, capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of oil, is operated by Greek shipping company Navios Tankers Management.
“We are doing everything necessary to make sure that the 19 crew members will return safe,” the official at Navios said, adding that their families have been informed.