By IANS,
New Delhi : The managers of a chemical tanker whose six crew members, including an Indian national, have been kidnapped in Nigeria said they were making all efforts to ensure the safety and release of the employees.
On July 4 evening, a group of armed men boarded the chemical tanker Sichem Peace 18 miles from the port of Koko, Nigeria, and took six sailors hostage. The ship, however, was not captured.
During the event, the security alert system was operationalised, which led to the notification of the raid to authorities and to Singapore, the flag state of the vessel.
The ship managers, Norway-based Eitzen Maritime Services ASA, said in a release Wednesday that a dialogue process was going on to secure the crew’s release.
According to reports from Abuja, Indian national Banjit Singh Dhindsa is among the six hostage sailors, who are reportedly in the custody of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
Speaking to IANS on telephone from Norway, Eitzen Maritime Services ASA CEO Annette Malm Justad said they could not release more information as this was a sensitive issue.
“Our major concern, priority is to safely get the release of the hostages. We have established contacts with all the relevant authorities,” she said.
Justad confirmed there was an Indian national among the hostage members, but was not willing to give out more information at this stage. “We are in touch with the families,” she said.
She added that the company was also in communication with various embassies in Norway about the developing situation.
MEND is a Nigerian militant group, which has declared a ‘war’ against the Nigerian government to force it to reinvest some of the oil money for the people in Niger Delta.
They have been holding a violent campaign for several years and have attacked multinational companies which have offices in the oil-rich region.
On July 6, the group took responsibility for blowing up an oil pipeline in the region.