Lagos: A group of gunmen attacked an oil vessel and kidnapped at least 10 members of the crew near the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula, a former Nigerian territory now ceded to Cameroon, media reported Friday.

A spokesperson of oil services company Bourbon confirmed that 10 of its 15 employees on board the vessel "Bourbon Sagitta" were kidnapped.

Besides seven French, two Cameroonians and a Tunisian were among the captives, he said.

According to the report, the gunmen in three speedboats attacked the ship, which was assisting an oil tanker in loading crude at an offshore oilfield in the Gulf of Guinea.

The company official said the company had informed French authorities of the accident and was working closely with the French foreign ministry for the quick release of the captured crew.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the kidnapping.

 

Source : IANS