The captain and chief engineer of an oil supply vessel have been kidnapped off the Nigerian coast in an attack by pirates.
According to security sources, the two United States citizens were kidnapped alongside a United States defence official.
Pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have increased since the turn of the year, ships moving through the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa enduring attacks from criminals after their cargoes and crews.
UK-based security firm AKE confirmed that the attacked vessel — a U.S flagged, C-Retriever, a 222-foot (67 meter) vessel owned by U.S. marine transport group Edison Chouest Offshore — was attacked early on Wednesday.
It was reported that the State Department and FBI have begun the American response to the incident, although it is still unclear if the small training unit of the U.S. Marine Corps would be drafted in.
Only last month, U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Maybus described the Gulf of Guinea as a potential hot spot and revealed that he was working closely with Gabon, Senegal, Sao Tome and Ghana to combat increased illegal trafficking of drugs, people and arms.
