A pirate attack on a Nigerian-flagged dredger earlier this month has left four people dead, maritime security consultancy company Dryad Global has confirmed.
Ambika, a trailing suction hopper dredger that had formerly sailed as Galilei 2000 under Jan De Nul, was operating in the Gulf of Guinea three nautical miles off the mouth of Nigeria's Ramos River when it was boarded by unidentified armed men on Thursday, January 2.
A firefight then ensued between the perpetrators and the vessel's embarked security personnel, four of whom were killed. Another two security personnel sustained injuries.
The pirates later left the vessel with three of Ambika's crew as hostages while the dredger's five remaining sailors were left behind unharmed.
The kidnapped crew have been identified as two Russian nationals and one Indian national.