Pirates attack ship, kidnap 17 Chinese and Ukrainian sailors in Gulf of Guinea

The kidnapping was confirmed by Cameroonian naval and port security officials. A Cameroonian naval source said the kidnappers were believed to be Nigerian pirates. He also said Cameroonian security forces had launched a search for the kidnapped sailors.

Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in Malaysia, confirmed that 17 sailors were kidnapped after attacks on two ships just hours apart while they were anchored in the Gulf of Guinea, off the port of Douala, Cameroon.

Choong said one of the ships attacked was a German multi-purpose vessel, flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. "Eight crew members were kidnapped from the ship, out of a total of 12 sailors of Asian and European origin," Choong said.

The other ship, flying a Liberian flag, was managed by a Greek owner. "There were 21 crew members on board. All Asian. Nine were kidnapped," Choong said.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry cited media reports as saying that three of the abducted people were Russian nationals. Many Ukrainians also hold Russian citizenship.

The Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, stretching from Liberia to Gabon, is notorious for piracy as well as oil theft, illegal fishing and drug and human trafficking.

Pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea doubled in 2018 compared to the previous year. Of the 75 sailors kidnapped in the first half of the year, 62 were kidnapped in the region. The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 73% of kidnappings and 92% of kidnappings for ransom on the world’s oceans. Ten Turkish sailors were released last week after being kidnapped by Nigerian pirates last month.