Offshore Crew Kidnapped

Early Thursday morning, in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Nigeria, an offshore supply vessel has been hijacked by pirates and the crew has been kidnapped. While details are still emerging about the developing situation, the ship, reported to be the Continental 1, was the one raided.

According to reports, 2 speedboats carrying 14 gunmen armed with AK 47’s boarded the vessel. The pirates didn’t even trouble themselves to put on masks that hide their identity. The crew was entirely unaware of the approaching pirates until it was too late. In fact, it seems that the pirates were entirely stealthy– the crew wasn’t even alerted to their presence until they busted down the door of the bridge.

Although nobody was injured or killed during the kidnapping, the pirates stole onboard computers and other expensive equipment before taking 4 hostages. Amongst the hostages are the Captain and Chief Officer, both from India, and the Chief Engineer who is from Poland.

Most private companies that operate in the gulf are all-too-familiar with ransom paying procedures. It remains unconfirmed when, if or how the hostages will be ransomed, but there is no reason so suspect the owner of the Continental 1 will pay full-price for their hostages, making this a lucrative score for the pirate crew.