Pirates kidnap 18 Indian sailors off Nigeria coast

A gang of pirates kidnapped 18 Indian sailors from Hong Kong-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), Nave Constellation, after boarding it off the coast of Nigeria late on Tuesday.

The VLCC, Nave Constellation, came under attack by the pirates when it was about 66 nautical miles south of Bonny Offshore Terminal and 24 nautical miles east of the Egina FPSO (a Floating Production Storage and Offloading).

The pirates boarded the vessel and kidnapped 19 members of the crew – 18 Indian and one Turkish –before leaving it with the hostages, according to a report on the www.arxmaritime.com

The Nigerian Navy later took control of the vessel.