No contact with pirates who kidnapped Polish sailors
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
28.11.2015 11:51
Pirates who kidnapped five Polish sailors have yet to open ransom talks, one day after an attack on a cargo ship off the Nigerian coast.
The cargo ship 'Szafir' (Sapphire). Photo: Eurafrica
The remaining 11 members of the crew managed to lock themselves in the engine room, thus evading capture. The attackers then fled the scene with the hostages.
Two boats of armed men had attacked the Polish cargo ship Szafir (Sapphire).
Hostages include the captain and three officers. It is expected that they will be held to ransom.
The vessel had been sailing from the Belgian port of Antwerp to Onee in Nigeria. It belongs to Polish company Euroafrica, which is based in Szczecin, north western Poland.
A statement released by Poland's foreign ministry noted that Prime Minister Beata Szydło convened a meeting of all the major security services in order to plan how to aid the hostages.
It has been reported that the Nigerian navy is aware of the location of the pirates and is planning a rescue operation. (nh/rk)
Source: msz.gov.pl/IAR