MOSCOW. April 29 (Interfax) - Russian diplomats in Nigeria are working to free sailors taken hostage, including a Russian national, the Russian Foreign Ministry has reported.
Pirates attacked the container carrier, Hanza Marburg, in the Gulf of Guinea, 180 kilometers south of Port Harcourt in Nigeria and 209 kilometers southwest of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea. The vessel is owned by the German shipping company Leonhardt und Blumberg. Four crewmembers were abducted, among them one Russian national, two Ukrainians and one citizen of Kiribati.
"The Russian embassy in Abuja is maintaining contact with the ship owner and the Nigerian police are doing all they can to ensure the sailors' early and safe release," the Russian Foreign Minster said on its website.