Daredevil sea pirates last week kidnapped two crew members on a trawler vessel at Dodo river in Bayelsa State, South – south Nigeria, Shipping Position Daily has confirmed.
Sources disclosed to our correspondent that the duo of the Captain and Chief Engineer of the 14 crew member trawler named MV KULAK IX were kidnapped during the attack by heavily armed sea robbers.
Even though the cargo on board the trawler were not stolen by the pirates, the captain and chief engineer of the ship were abducted.
Although no ransom has yet been demanded by the captors from the owners of the vessel, our correspondent gathered that the trawler belong to a Lagos based company; Barnaly Fisheries Nigeria Limited.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed the identities of the abducted crew as: Omodaji Awobu (the Captain of the ship) and Abbukkudan Manikuggan who is the Chief Engineer.
Sources confirmed that the Fishing zone of the Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association got a distress call about the attack last Wednesday at about 1pm.
Confirming the attack, the source further revealed that an officer of the union (name withheld)immediately relayed the distress call to the search and rescue department of the Nigerian Maritime and Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) at Kirikiri office in Lagos.
Our source alleged that the NIMASA officer was however nonchalant about the distress call.
The merchant navy association official added that the trawler is currently aground in one of the creeks within the Coast of Dodo River, but added that the cargoes on board are still intact.
According to our source, the agency failed to respond to distress calls, he alleged that the Search and Rescue officer at NIMASA was demanding for a detailed text message about the attack.
Speaking extensively on NIMASA shortcomings regarding search and rescue operations on the nation’s territorial waters, another Captain told Shipping Position Daily that NIMASA has never responded to distress calls by sea farers within Nigerian coast.
He faulted NIMASA and the Navy operations and their patrol in Nigerian waters, saying that the agencies have failed to live up to their responsibilities.
He said both agencies are reluctant to respond to attacks on trawler vessels, adding that seafarers are sailing in fear at sea; mostly on Nigerian waters.
According to him, the navy only concentrate on tankers at sea and abandon activities of trawlers.
Confirming the alleged lacklustre attitude of search and rescue personnel of the apex regulatory agency, our correspondent who made a call to the search and rescue department of NIMASA on Friday afternoon was told that the office had closed.
An officer who answered the telephone call, an officer who chose not to disclose his identity told our correspondent that, “the information you want is not a distress call and I was not informed about the attack, please kindly call back tomorrow or better still on Monday because right now I don’t have details or records about the information”.
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