Indian Government expressed concern on 20 Indians seafarer's

Indian Government expressed concern on 20 Indians seafarer's held by Nigerian pirates


The Indian Government, on Monday, expressed concern over kidnapping of 20 Indian crew members from onboard vessel MT Duke and said that the Indian mission in Abuja has taken up the matter with concerned authorities in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

'We are concerned by the kidnapping of 20 Indian crew members (as reported by the Shipping agency) from the vessel MT Duke in the high seas off the western coast of Africa on 15th December 2019,' the MEA spokesperson, Mr. Raveesh Kumar said.

'This is the third such incident this year in the region, affecting Indians.

Our Mission in Abuja has taken up the matter with Nigerian authorities and authorities of neighbouring countries. The safety of hostages is paramount and we continue to engage with Nigerian authorities and other stakeholders,' he said.

The incident comes just 10 days after 18 Indians on board a Hong Kong-flagged vessel were kidnapped off the Nigerian coast.

'Our vessel (oil tanker MT DUKE - IMO: 9262259) was involved in a security incident on Sunday at around 0700 UTC. DUKE was attacked and boarded whilst on a voyage from Luanda, Angola to Lome, Togo, with a cargo of fuel oil. DUKE's crew is managed by V Ships, and Union Maritime is working closely with them and all relevant authorities to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. The safety and welfare of the crew remain the top priority of Union Maritime,' Union Maritime, the operator of the ship wrote.

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