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NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.
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Pirates attacked a ship on Tuesday off the coast of Nigeria and kidnapped two employees, its Dutch operators said.
The Liberian-flagged refrigerated vessel, the Water Phoenix, was attacked while en route from The Netherlands to Lagos, the company Seatrade said on Wednesday.
“No contact has yet been established with those holding our crew members,” spokesman Cor Radings told AFP, without giving details on the nationality of the abducted pair.
The Groningen-based company said its priority was to establish contact with the kidnappers, Radings said, describing the situation as worrisome.
Following the attack, the 4,800-tonne ship and 16 other crew who were unharmed, arrived safely in Lagos, where the vessel was escorted to its berth by the Nigerian navy.
The incident took place in a stretch of the Gulf of Guinea that has a notorious reputation for piracy.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), 77 seafarers worldwide were taken hostage or kidnapped for ransom in the first half of 2020.
The Gulf of Guinea accounted for 90 percent of abductions. (AFP)
