Nigerian navy locates hijacked French company vessel

The Nigerian navy on Wednesday said it has located the hijacked vessel belonging to the French oil and gas company BOURBON. It also vowed to rescue the six Russian sailors and an Estonian national abducted by gunmen off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich Delta region. Nigerian navy spokesperson Kabiru Aliyu said the vessel is now at Bonny Island in Rivers State. "However, necessary machinery has been put in motion to ensure that the abducted crew members are released and the hijackers are apprehended," he said in a text message sent to Xinhua, adding the Nigerian navy has no further details on the incident. The Paris-based company has confirmed on its official website that seven of its crew members were kidnapped in Onne, an area located in the southern part of Rivers State. "BOURBON confirms that seven crew members were kidnapped during the boarding of the Bourbon Liberty 249, which occurred on Oct. 15, 2012 in Nigeria," said the company. An emergency unit has been set up to aim at the rapid liberation of the captives, under the safest security conditions. On Monday, pirates kidnapped six Russian citizens and one Estonian national, leaving the other nine crew members on board a ship which was servicing hydrocarbon extraction platforms in the shelf off the southern coast of Nigeria. The Bourbon Liberty 249 was used to tow anchors for oil rigs or mobile drilling rigs. The vessel's crew worked on maintenance of oil platforms off Nigeria's shores. Kidnappings for ransom are widespread in the southern part of Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer.