Two crew kidnapped from reefer vessel off Lagos

Two crew kidnapped from reefer vessel off Lagos
Jason Jiang September 9, 2020 https://splash247.com/two-crew-kidnapped-from-reefer-vessel-off-lagos/

The 1992-built reefer vessel Water Phoenix was boarded by pirates off Lagos on Tuesday and two of the crew are believed to have been kidnapped.

Maritime security consultancy Dryad Global reported that the vessel was boarded by an unknown number of persons, resulting in the kidnap of two Russian crew members including the ship’s master. The vessel had a crew of 18, made up of 7 Russians and 11 Filipinos, of which 16 managed to retreat into the citadel.

According to Dryad Global, it is the 13th reported incident in waters of the Lagos Port Complex and Anchorage in the past 12 months.

“Currently 95 personnel have been kidnapped in 18 incidents off the coast of west Africa within 2020. This is reflective of a slight increase in incidents and volume of personnel kidnapped when compared with the same period in 2019,” Dryad Global said.

Ship registration information shows that the vessel is owned by German company Triton Schiffahrts and operated by Belgian reeder specialist Seatrade in the GreenSea pool.

“Seatrade would like to stress its main priority is to establish contact with the missing seafarers and secure their earliest and secure return. The company’s Emergency Response team is working around the clock and is liaising with the local and international authorities. Seatrade are in close contact with the families of the seafarers to support them in these difficult times,” Seatrade said in a statement.