The Slovenian Foreign Ministry reported that it is in contact with the owner of the Swiss cargo ship, which was attacked on Saturday by pirates near the Nigerian coast. Among the 12 kidnapped crew members is also one Slovenian citizen.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received confirmation from representatives of the shipping company that among the kidnapped sailors on board the Swiss ship is also citizen of Slovenia," reports the ministry.
"The shipping company is in contact with the relatives of the kidnapped sailor and has informed them about the incident. The Massoel Shipping company has turned to a professional team skilled for handling such situations," explains the foreign ministry. It adds that it cannot reveal more details, respecting the wishes of the relatives and shipping company.
An attack in the Niger Delta
The Glarus ship of the Swiss Massoel Shipping company was attacked by pirates while it was transporting wheat from Lagos to Port Harcourt. The attack happened around 80 kilometers southwest of Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. The pirates boarded the ship with the help of long ladders. They then destroyed most of the ship's communication equipment and kidnapped 12 of the ship's 19 crew members.
According to foreign media reports, apart from the one citizen of Slovenia, among the hostages are also seven citizens of the Philippines, and one from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Ukraine.
The Swiss shipping company says all the relevant institutions have been informed about the incident, and that they have called upon the help of professionals to ensure the sailors' speedy and safe release.