[B-0]22347[B-1]
[B-2]Six sailors of the Greek-owned Tonsberg were kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea - a frigate helicopter followed them - from a distance, to avoid endangering the lives of the hostages - but was forced to stop when the pirates entered Nigerian territorial waters[B-3]
[B-4]Several [B-5]crew members[B-6], including a Polish sailor, [B-7]were kidnapped[B-8] during an attack on a container ship in the [B-9]Gulf of Guinea[B-10], the Polish Foreign Ministry said yesterday, Wednesday.[B-11][B-12]The Danish Navy announced this week that [B-13]pirates kidnapped a total of six crew members[B-14] of the Greek-owned ship Tonsberg in international waters off the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea). The Polish Foreign Ministry has informed that it has received information concerning the abduction of crew members of the Tonsberg in the Gulf of Guinea and confirms that one of the abducted persons is a Polish citizen. It also stated in its press release that it was in contact with diplomats from other countries, as well as with the shipowner, to coordinate efforts to find and rescue the hostages.[B-15][B-16]According to the Danish Navy, one of its frigates, Esbern Snare, which has been patrolling the area since November, pursued the pirates, who left the Tonsberg in a small boat with the hostages on board. [B-17]A frigate helicopter followed them - from a distance, so as not to endanger the lives of the hostages -[B-18] but was forced to stop when the pirates entered Nigerian territorial waters, as the rules of engagement of the Danish Navy mission do not allow it to enter that country's waters.[B-19][B-20]Apart from the six hostages, one person who was injured was rescued and received medical assistance on board the frigate, while 14 other crew members are unharmed and still remain on board the Tonsberg, a spokesman for the Danish Navy told Denmark's Ritzau news agency.[B-21][B-22]According to the specialist website Marine Traffic, the Tonsberg is currently off the coast of Benin. Attacks on ships to kidnap crew members for ransom have become very common in recent years in the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches 5,700 kilometers across West Africa. They are committed mainly by pirates from Nigeria. The bottom of the Gulf, which stretches from Senegal to Angola, is home to large hydrocarbon deposits and the area is also rich in fish. This region has become the global epicentre of illegal maritime activities: it was where 99% of pirate seafarer kidnappings were concentrated in 2020, according to a report by the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention and the Stable Seas Institute for Studies, released the day before yesterday, Tuesday.[B-23][B-24]Source: CNA[B-25][B-25]
[B-26]Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to [B-27]Cyprus Times[B-28]
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or [B-29]Cyprus Times[B-30][B-31]
[B-32]Source[B-33]
[B-2]Six sailors of the Greek-owned Tonsberg were kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea - a frigate helicopter followed them - from a distance, to avoid endangering the lives of the hostages - but was forced to stop when the pirates entered Nigerian territorial waters[B-3]
[B-4]Several [B-5]crew members[B-6], including a Polish sailor, [B-7]were kidnapped[B-8] during an attack on a container ship in the [B-9]Gulf of Guinea[B-10], the Polish Foreign Ministry said yesterday, Wednesday.[B-11][B-12]The Danish Navy announced this week that [B-13]pirates kidnapped a total of six crew members[B-14] of the Greek-owned ship Tonsberg in international waters off the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea). The Polish Foreign Ministry has informed that it has received information concerning the abduction of crew members of the Tonsberg in the Gulf of Guinea and confirms that one of the abducted persons is a Polish citizen. It also stated in its press release that it was in contact with diplomats from other countries, as well as with the shipowner, to coordinate efforts to find and rescue the hostages.[B-15][B-16]According to the Danish Navy, one of its frigates, Esbern Snare, which has been patrolling the area since November, pursued the pirates, who left the Tonsberg in a small boat with the hostages on board. [B-17]A frigate helicopter followed them - from a distance, so as not to endanger the lives of the hostages -[B-18] but was forced to stop when the pirates entered Nigerian territorial waters, as the rules of engagement of the Danish Navy mission do not allow it to enter that country's waters.[B-19][B-20]Apart from the six hostages, one person who was injured was rescued and received medical assistance on board the frigate, while 14 other crew members are unharmed and still remain on board the Tonsberg, a spokesman for the Danish Navy told Denmark's Ritzau news agency.[B-21][B-22]According to the specialist website Marine Traffic, the Tonsberg is currently off the coast of Benin. Attacks on ships to kidnap crew members for ransom have become very common in recent years in the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches 5,700 kilometers across West Africa. They are committed mainly by pirates from Nigeria. The bottom of the Gulf, which stretches from Senegal to Angola, is home to large hydrocarbon deposits and the area is also rich in fish. This region has become the global epicentre of illegal maritime activities: it was where 99% of pirate seafarer kidnappings were concentrated in 2020, according to a report by the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention and the Stable Seas Institute for Studies, released the day before yesterday, Tuesday.[B-23][B-24]Source: CNA[B-25][B-25]
[B-26]Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to [B-27]Cyprus Times[B-28]
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or [B-29]Cyprus Times[B-30][B-31]
[B-32]Source[B-33]
