Pirates have attacked an oil supply vessel off the Nigerian coast and kidnapped the captain and chief engineer. Security sources say that both men are US citizens.
 
In a separate incident, 3 Nigerian soldiers are reported to have been killed on Tuesday after armed robbers attacked a vessel, carrying construction workers in the creeks of Rivers State.

Maritime sources say that pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have jumped by a third this year, as ships passing through West-Africa’s gulf of Guinea, a major commodities route, have increasingly come under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargoes and crews.