Nigeria Pirates Kidnap Six Russians, One Estonian

Nigerian pirates have kidnapped six Russians and one Estonian during an attack on their ship on Monday, according to a report by the French company operating their vessel.

Nine additional crew members were safe after the ship was able to reach the Nigerian port of Onne in the oil-rich Niger Delta, according to Reuters. The group was a part of Bourbon, which supplies vessels to the offshore oil industry.

Pirate attacks are not uncommon in the area and are on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea, which is only second to the waters near Somalia when it comes to piracy.

Attackers like the Nigerian pirates will kidnap people for ransom sometimes, especially in the waters around the delta. They usually seize boats to steal their cargo and then free the crew.

Earlier this month, pirates freed a Greek-operated gasoline tanker that they had hijacked near the Ivory Coast. In August, pirates launched an attack on a Greek-operated oil tanker off the coast of Togo. They released the ship after stealing 3,000 tons of fuel. Al Jazeera notes that a statement by Bourbon read:

“Bourbon confirms that seven crew members … were kidnapped during the boarding of the Bourbon Liberty 249, which occurred on October 15, 2012. The other nine crew members are still on-board the vessel which is heading for the Port of Onne. They are safe and sound, and in good health.”

The statement did not say exactly where the Nigerian pirates hijacked the ship. Fuel ships are a favorite target of pirates, who often steal fuel from them to keep their own ships going. Many of the criminal gangs in pirate networks in the Nigerian region are offshoots from armed groups that operated in the delta before agreeing to an amnesty deal in 2009.