Pirates have reportedly attacked an oil production vessel off Nigeria and kidnapped nine Nigerian nationals, the ship’s owner BW Offshore said.
According to a report accredited to Reuters, the attach took place in the early hours of Thursday.
It said, the Sendje Berge ship was undergoing maintenance when the attack happened, BW Offshore’s Chief Financial Officer Staale Andreassen told Reuters.
The Oslo-listed company, however, stated that none of the people remaining on the vessel were injured.
“We are working now with the Nigerian authorities to get those nine people safely back,” Andreassen was quoted.
The vessel, a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) that can produce about 50,000 barrels per day, was said to be working at the Okwori oilfield operated by Addax Petroleum, a part of China’s Sinopec Group.
The report explained that a maritime security firm Dryad Global, citing unidentified reports, said the attack involved three boats and explosives, making it unusual.
Andreassen was quoted saying he could not confirmed that a number of boats had been involved, but denied that explosives were used during the attack.