Sailors Kidnapped off Benin Coast

Norwegian shipping company J. J. Ugland has said that nine of its employees were taken from one of its vessels, MV-Bonita, whilst anchored 15km off the coast of Benin on Saturday.

The remainder of the crew alerted local authorities, before docking in the port city of Cotonou, Benin’s largest city and economic centre.

The MV-Bonita was carrying a cargo of gypsum, a mineral compound that is largely used for plaster, blackboard chalk and drywall.

The company released a statement on Sunday confirming the abductions, saying “The Ugland Emergency Response Team are handling this situation as per contingency plans, and they are now in contact with relevant authorities”.

It continued “The families of the crew members have been contacted and will be kept informed by Ugland”.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), an arm of the International Chamber of Commerce, there has been a decline in the reported activity of pirates globally.

Despite this, the IMB maintains the coastal areas off West Africa, and particularly the Gulf of Guinea, remain high-risk for abductions and armed robberies.

This is the third abduction in the area since July, when ten Turkish sailors were taken off the coast of Nigeria, and a German-flagged vessel saw 8 of its crew taken off the Cameroonian coast back in August.

Ugland have said they will not reveal the identities or nationalities of the crew members, citing safety reasons.