Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that eight Polish citizens have been kidnapped on the shores of Nigeria, the head of the ministry Jacek Czaputowicz said on Monday.
According to RMF FM radio station, at least eight have been kidnapped by pirates on the shores of Nigeria. The ship under German flag was located some 60 miles offshore. The pirates are believed to have come aboard the the ship and, as the radio informs, kidnapped a part of the crew, including eight Poles, two Filipinos and one Ukrainian.
Earlier on, the foreign ministry said that it had information about possible kidnapping of crew members of Pomerania Sky ship. Polish authorities contacted the ship owner in order to verify, whether or not, there were any Polish citizens among the taken.
Monday afternoon, before a debate "On the Future of European Union", Polish foreign minister told the journalists that among the eleven kidnapped people, eight are Polish.
"The consulate in Hamburg is in contact with the ship's owner, while the consulate in Abuja communicates with local authorities," said Czaputowicz. He underscored that, at the moment, he wasn't able to provide any more information. "We ask everyone to respect the privacy of the kidnapped," said the foreign minister.
The ministry also informed about the kidnapping on Twitter, where it says that the ship owner, Pomerania Sky has confirmed that eleven crew members were taken and that eight of them are Polish. "In the ministry, as well as in the Poish Embassy in Abuja crisis management teams were formed. The ministry is in constant communication with ship owner's crisis team," the foreign ministry informed.
"We call upon the media for discretion and ask that once publishing any information regarding the situation, to keep in mind the safety of Polish sailors and to respect the privacy of their families. Bearing in mind the well-being of the crew members, the foreign ministry won't reveal any further information," it was added.
In an interview for "Dziennik Bałtycki", the chairman of Dohle Marine Services Europe, captain Waldemar Perchel underscored that he was in no position to reveal any details regarding the taken sailors or any developments of the situation. "We've notified the families and we're still in touch with them," he reassured. The company has its seat in Gdynia, Northern Poland and among other things, it deals with recruitment of sailors and officers for commercial ships.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 International, PAP