UNKNOWN ASSAILANTS BOARDED A SHIP NEAR NIGERIA'S COAST TO KIDNAP TWO UKRAINIAN AND TWO NORWEGIAN SEAMEN ACCORDING TO A UKRAINE FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT WEDNESDAY, REPORTED BY DPA. THE NORWEGIAN SHIP NORTHERN COMRADE HAD BEEN IN NIGERIAN TERRITORIAL WATERS IN A REGION OF OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING RIGS. ALL FOUR VICTIMS WERE MEMBERS OF THE VESSEL'S CREW. THE REASON FOR THE KIDNAPPING WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY CLEAR. NIGERIAN MILITANTS IN THE PAST HAVE KIDNAPPED WORKERS FOR INTERNATIONAL OIL COMPANIES DEVELOPING NIGERIAN OIL FIELDS, TO DEMAND THE OIL COMPANIES LEAVE MORE OF THEIR PROFITS IN NIGERIA. NORWAY'S AND UKRAINE'S FOREIGN MINISTRIES "WERE IN CONTROL OF THE SITUATION," THE STATEMENT TEXT READ IN PART. UKRAINIAN SEAMEN, BECAUSE OF THEIR TRADITIONAL WILLINGNESS TO WORK ABOARD SHIPS SAILING IN DANGEROUS WATERS, ARE SOMETIMES TARGETS OF PIRATES LOOKING TO CAPTURE CARGO VESSELS AND THEIR CREWS FOR RANSOM. SOMALI PIRATES LAST YEAR BOARDED A LIBERIAN-FLAGGED STEAMER TO TAKE 22 UKRAINIAN CREW MEMBERS HOSTAGE, AND TO DEMAND 700,000 DOLLARS RANSOM. UKRAINIAN DIPLOMATS EVENTUALLY FREED THE CREW, ACCORDING TO UKRAINIAN MEDIA REPORTS BY PAYING THE RANSOM.
