18 Indian crew men kidnapped in high seas off West Africa

Eighteen out of the 19 crew members abducted are Indian nationals and the remaining one is Turkish. The vessel was laden and outbound from the Bonny Offshore Terminal. It was not under any kind of escort when the attack on it took place, making it more vulnerable.

New Delhi: West Africa is infamous for piracy and now the situation has worsened further with the kidnapping of 19 crewmen, nearly all Indians, onboard a very large crude carrier (VLCC). The attack on the Anglo-Eastern-managed Nave Constellation took place 66 nautical miles south off Nigeria's Bonny Offshore Terminal.

Eighteen out of the 19 crew members are Indian nationals and the remaining one is Turkish. The vessel was laden and outbound from the Bonny Offshore Terminal, said reports. It was underway at approximately 13.3 knots. It was not under any kind of escort when the attack on it took place, making it more vulnerable.

The 2010-built tanker is owned by Navios Maritime Acquisition, according to VesselsValue.

A spokesperson for the owner and the manager of the tanker is quoted to have said: "Navios as Owners and Anglo-Eastern as Technical and Crew Managers' prime concern is the safety and early return of the 19 persons taken by the pirate gang. All the appropriate authorities, including the Flag State, have been alerted and are responding. All the necessary action is being taken to secure their wellbeing and early release."

According to initial reports by the website Arx Maritime, a portal dedicated to safety in the seas, the attack occurred at about 19:20 UTC on Tuesday. Security consultants Ambrey pointed out in an alert that the ship “was not under escort at the time of the attack”.

ARX Maritime provides commercial risk management for vessels trading in high-risk areas, making sure that vessels adopt and implement the best risk management practices.

While Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times in the East African coast to address the various maritime concerns of the region, including piracy off the coast of Somalia, naval presence on the western coast of Africa has been negligible.

Pirates in the west coast of Africa are believed to be part of a well-funded criminal industry with established supply networks. Armed with sophisticated weapons, the pirates operate out of motherships to launch their attacks and the usual target is oil cargo.

Report by Sanjib Kr Baruah