Nigeria : Two Moroccan officers kidnapped by pirates

Two Moroccan nationals, a captain and an engineer officer, were allegedly kidnapped by pirates in the territorial waters of Nigeria. According to Alyaoum 24, Moroccan sailors urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to intervene with the Congolese and Nigerian authorities.

On Tuesday, Maritime Bulletin media reported that a ship was attacked by pirates on the night of July 29-30 near a Nigerian island named Bonny located in the Gulf of Guinea. «Pirates boarded the ship and reportedly, kidnapped five crew».

For its part, Alyaoum 24, which seems to be better informed on the incident, says that these are in particular two Moroccan nationals namely A. J. (40), originally from Casablanca and A. B. (44),  from Oujda. Both would be students of the Higher Institute of Maritime Studies (ISEM) in Casablanca, and would have worked in several Moroccan ships.

As for the vessel kidnapped, Vessel Finder indicates that it is called Celia built in 1986 and currently sailing under the name of OYA1.