Twenty Indian crew members of the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker vessel, MT Duke, were kidnapped off the West African coast, spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry Raveesh Kumar said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2019) Twenty Indian crew members of the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker vessel, MT Duke, were kidnapped off the West African coast, spokesman for the Indian Foreign Ministry Raveesh Kumar said on Monday.On Sunday, the vessel's operator, Union Maritime, said that MT Duke was attacked and boarded while traveling from Angola to Togo. Its cargo was fuel oil. The operate refused to discuss the matter further over its "sensitive" nature.
"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 spokesperson said in response to a query on the incident.
The official also added that the country's mission in Nigeria was cooperating with the local and neighboring countries' authorities on the matter.
"The safety of hostages is paramount and we continue to engage with Nigerian authorities and other stakeholders closely on the recent incidents, Kumar stated.
According to the ministry, this is the third incident of Indian nationals being kidnapped in the region this year. The most recent happened earlier in December, when media reported that 19 Indian nationals were taken from the Nave Constellation vessel off the Nigerian coast.
