The Nigerian navy ordered its forces to mount a rescue operation of an oil platform support vessel owned by a Louisiana company that was attacked off the coast of Nigeria on Thursday.
The ship is an oil platform support vessel owned by Edison Chouest Offshore.WDSU
The captain and chief engineer, who are believed to be U.S. citizens, were taken off the craft, a U.S. official confirmed last week.
The Nigerian navy ordered its forces to mount a rescue operation of an oil platform support vessel owned by a Louisiana company that was attacked off the coast of Nigeria on Thursday.
The ship is an oil platform support vessel owned by Edison Chouest Offshore.WDSU
The captain and chief engineer, who are believed to be U.S. citizens, were taken off the craft, a U.S. official confirmed last week.
"We are seeking additional information so we can contribute to the safe resolution of the situation," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Thursday. "Our principal concern now is the safe return of two American citizens."
The attack on the vessel, which is named the C-Retriever, according to the official and UK-based security firm AKE, happened Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea, off the Nigerian coast in West Africa, AKE reported.
The ship is an oil platform support vessel owned by Edison Chouest Offshore, which is based in Cut Off, La. The vessel's homeport is in Galliano, La. The company was not immediately available for comment.
Further details about the attack weren't immediately available and it wasn't clear if the pirates were demanding a ransom.
Nigerian Navy Capt. Kabir Aliyu confirmed to The Associated Press that there was an attack. He said the Nigerian Navy directed its operational commands and bases "to search (for) and rescue the crew members and the vessel."
A U.S. defense official said the U.S. Navy is monitoring the situation and that the closest military vessel was a Dutch Navy ship in the Gulf of Guinea with 90 U.S. Marines aboard.
In 2011, an Edison Chouest Offshore vessel was boarded by pirates off the coast of Nigeria. Three people were kidnapped and eventually released.
The company's owner, Gary Chouest, was once part-owner of the New Orleans Hornets from 2007-2010. Chouest was part of a group that attempted to buy the whole team, but lost to current owner Tom Benson.
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