The seven Russian nationals and one Ukrainian who were kidnapped by pirates from a German cargo vessel near Nigerian waters last week are "alive and well," the father of one of the sailors cited the vessel's captain as saying.
The BBC Caribbean was on its way from the city of Douala in Cameroon to Tema, Ghana when pirates raided the ship on Sunday, February 5, kidnapping the eight crew members.
"My daughter received a call from the company, saying that the captain made contact — he was allowed to make a call. He said that everyone is alive and well, their upkeep is normal. They asked the relatives not to worry," Igor Ryaboy, father of BBC Caribbean crew member Sergei Gusarov, told Sputnik.
The raid took place some 120 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island in the Gulf of Guinea. The BBC Caribbean, a multipurpose tweendecker vessel built in 2008, belongs to the German Briese Schiffahrts cargo company.
The embassy has asked Nigerian authorities to assist in locating the abducted people, it said late on Tuesday.
The general cargo vessel BBC Caribbean is managed by Briese Schiffahrts.
"The armed pirates approached (the vessel) in a boat, captured the crew and left on the boat at the direction of the Nigerian shores," said Pavel Fedulov, the director of a Briese Schiffahrts subsidiary in St Petersburg, according to Russian news organisation RBC.
Meanwhile, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and its member unions, the Seafarers’ Union of Russia and Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine have called for a fast but reasoned response to the kidnapping of eight crew members of the BBC Caribbean in the Gulf of Guinea.
ITF seafarers’ section chair David Heindel stated: “This is an urgent and dangerous affair for these seafarers, and a deeply worrying time for their families. It requires a speedy response. We understand that the Russian Embassy is involved and if there is anything we can do to assist their diplomatic efforts to release the crew we will be pleased to do so.
“The ship is owned by Briese Schiffahrts and managed by one of their subsidiaries in St Petersburg, and we call on the company to engage with all parties to ensure the safety and release of the crew members. Again, we are available to assist. ”
He continued: “We would caution against any attempt to free these seafarers by means of a military raid at this time, given the risk to them inherent in such an operation. We would, however, like to see far more preventative action by the Nigerian armed forces, so that these situations are averted before they happen.”
Torben Seebold, maritime coordinator of the German trade union ver.di, which negotiates ITF agreements covering Briese Schiffahrts crews, stated: “We call for the immediate release of these men. Ver.di and the ITF are offering assistance to their families, and we are ready to help in any way we can to secure their fast and safe return. We expect that Briese Schiffahrts, our contractual partner, will similarly maintain close and intensive cooperation with the local authorities and also with the affected families.”
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