In 2018, the Dutch government was closely involved in paying the equivalent of 280,000 euros in ransom money to Nigerian pirates who were holding the crew of a Dutch cargo ship hostage, reports Dutch newspaper NRC.
In a violent attack in the Gulf of Guinea, pirates have killed one and kidnapped another 15 crew members from the container vessel Mozart. The region is becoming increasingly dangerous with a record number of kidnappings reported in 2020.
Fourteen crew members of the heavy load carrier Zhen Hua 7 have been kidnapped by pirates while sailing in the Gulf of Guinea, reports maritime security adviser Dryad Global. One of the seafarers suffered a gunshot wound in his leg. This is the 8th offshore incident in just nine days.
Pirates have kidnapped eight crew members from a multipurpose vessel owned by MC Schiffahrt. The German shipping company has assembled an emergency team to find a solution. The multipurpose vessel MarMalaita was anchored at the Douala Anchorage off the coast of Cameroon when a group of armed pirates boarded the vessel on the 14th of…