International Relations say there is no confirmation that South African citizens are part of a ship’s crew that has been kidnapped off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.
In a statement the government of Equatorial Guinea says earlier this week a supply vessel called ‘ The Warden ‘, belonging to Exxon Mobil, was attacked by pirates.
The navy was deployed to assist and found seven of the 15 crew members hiding aboard the vessel.
Eight crew members had been kidnapped by the pirates.
The government says the crew consisted of citizens from South Africa, the Philippines, Serbia and Cameroon.
The statement did not confirm if any South Africans were among those kidnapped.
DIRCO spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele says: “I can confirm that as DIRCO we are aware of the incident that took place in the coast of Equatorial Guinea. We are working with the government of Equatorial Guinea to establish if indeed South Africans are involved so that we can be able to assist with the consular services.”
