Pirates seize eight Polish crew, three others from ship off Nigeria coast … as Kidnapped Crew of MV Glarus regain Freedom

Pirates boarded a container ship off the coast of Nigeria, seizing 11 crew including eight from Poland, the vessel’s management firm and Polish state media reported.

The attackers struck the MV Pomerania Sky, bound for the Nigerian port of Onne, early on Saturday and abducted 11 of the crew, Midocean (IOM) Ltd said in a statement on Sunday. The firm added that nine others remained on board and were unharmed.

“Our priority is securing the earliest release of the 11 crew who have been taken and we are working closely with our partners and the local authorities to achieve that,” Midocean said.

“The families of those crew members taken are being kept informed of the situation,” said the company. It added the vessel had proceeded to safe waters.

A Nigerian navy spokesman said they had begun an investigation and search and rescue operation as soon as the incident was reported, and would provide an update soon.

Midocean declined to say where the kidnapped crew members were from, but Polish state media, citing Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz, said eight of them were from Poland.

The nationality of the three other abducted crew members was not immediately clear.

Kidnappings and piracy in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea are common

Meanwhile, The twelve crew members of Swiss-flagged cargo ship MV Glarus, kidnapped in September while underway toward Port of Harcourt, Nigeria, have been freed, the Swiss authorities informed.

The ship was underway, loaded with a cargo of bulk wheat, around 45 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island when it was boarded by a gang of pirates, who took 12 out of 19 crew members hostage. The remaining seven mariners were allowed to stay on the ship. The sailors manning the ship at the time were from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Philippines, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine.

The release of the mariners followed a month-long negotiation between the shipping company Massoel Shipping and the kidnappers. Finally, the hostages were released on Friday, October 26, and were transferred to Switzerland, Basel’s prosecution office said.

As informed, upon arrival the released seafarers were questioned before departing to their home countries.

The terms of their release were not disclosed.

The local authorities are investigating the case in order to capture the still unknown perpetrators.