Body says no information on the vessel yet or the number of people kidnapped

November 27, 2015 4:03 PM

"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria," Waszczykowski said.

Poland reported on Friday that one of it's cargo ship Szafir (Sapphire), had being hijacked by Nigerian pirates. The ship which has five Polish sailors on board, is currently anchored around 30 sea miles - roughly 56 kilometers - off the Nigerian coast.

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In a phone interview the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center said, "We are still waiting for information from the owner of the vessel as to the specifics of cargo, the number of people involved, etc."

Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski in a news conference on Friday said that kidnappers had made no demands so far, and that Poland was liaising with Nigerian authorities, but would not involve itself directly unless if asked to do so.

"This is a responsibility of the sovereign state of Nigeria,"

"The rest of the crew, 11 people, are still on the ship and they are safe... The ship suffered some damage," Waszczykowski said.

There were no traces of blood seen on the ship, which sails under the Cyprus flag, he said. The kidnapped sailors included the captain and officers.

Ben Bassey

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