18 Indians kidnapped by pirates off Nigerian coast; Indian mission in talks with Nigerian govt: sources

As many as 19 crew members, including 18 Indians, onboard a Hong Kong-flagged vessel, 'MT Nave Constellation' owned by the Anglo-Eastern Shipping Company, were kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria on Wednesday. Government sources on Thursday confirmed that the Indian Mission in Nigeria is in touch with the Nigerian administration and is working towards sorting the issue out with the authorities.

''Our mission in Nigeria has taken up the matter related to the kidnapping of the Indian crew members of the ship MT Nave Constellation off Bonny, Nigeria with Nigerian Government and the security agencies,'' the sources said, adding, "We shall update you as we get further information."

The news of the kidnapping was first brought to light on Wednesday by ARX Maritime, a global agency tracking maritime developments in the region and working towards developing Maritime Risk Prevention Technology. The Hong Kong-flagged ‘VLCC, NAVE CONSTELLATION’ was attacked by pirates at 19:20 UTC, during the evening hours of December 3 while transiting through Nigeria, it posted on its website, adding that the pirates kidnapped the 19 crew members onboard the ship, including 18 Indians and one Turkish national.

ARX Maritime provides commercial risk management for vessels trading in high-risk areas.