Pirates Nigeria

October 24, 2013 by staff

Pirates Nigeria, Two U.S. nationals have been taken hostage after an attack on a U.S. ship 40 miles off the Nigerian coast.

The American captain and chief engineer of the oil platform supply ship C-Retriever were kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria on Wednesday, news agencies reported, citing anonymous U.S. defense officials.

U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News correspondent David Martin that there were 13 people on board the vessel when it came under attack, and that two American citizens were taken hostage and being held at an unknown location. Their condition was unknown, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility.

The State Department said it was “closely monitoring” the reports and was “seeking additional information about the incident.” The U.S. considers the incident an act of piracy and not t*rror*sm, reports CBS News State Department correspondent Margaret Brennan. The U.S. Embassy in Lagos and the FBI are involved in the investigation.

The Gulf of Guinea is an area where oil bunkering occurs and ships anchor, Brennan reports. There is not a large naval protective presence where the kidnapping occurred, unlike off the coast of Somalia where shipping lanes are protected.