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Navy Foils Merchant Ship Hijacking

February 7, 2016

On Sunday, Captain Olusegun Soyemi, the Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, informed journalists that the Nave foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack and abduct 25 foreign nationals.

On Sunday, Captain Olusegun Soyemi, the Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, informed journalists that the Nave foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack and abduct 25 foreign nationals.

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The ship, a Maersk merchant ship, was delivering general cargo to Nigeria when it was attacked on January 5 by pirates roughly 60 miles from the coast of Bonny Island.

During the attack, the crew sent out a distress call which was received by the Nigerian Navy.  In response, the navy dispatched a warship to intercept the merchant ship.

The warship successfully forced the pirates to surrender after firing upon the merchant ship’s control room.  The navy’s efforts were largely assisted by merchant ship’s captain who provided critical intelligence to the navy while she and her crew were barricaded in the engine room.  

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CRIME