© Provided by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. MV Bonita.

NINE Filipinos aboard a Norwegian cargo ship were snatched by alleged pirates in the West African country of Benin, the shipowner said on Monday.

According to the official statement of the Norwegian shipping company J.J. Ugland, the nine Filipino sailors were taken off the bulk vessel MV Bonita in the port of Cotonou while the ship was waiting to be unloaded on November 2

Initially, the company did not mention the nationalities of the hostages, but Norwegian online newspaper E24 quoted a source of Norwegian Shipowners’ Association as saying that they were all Filipinos.

Also read:

Duterte misses ASEAN Plus 3 photo op

BI detains Chinese man allegedly involved in investment scam

Dar blames meat from China, swill feed for ASF outbreak

China offers aid to quake-hit areas in Mindanao

LPA to become tropical depression soon —PAGASA

The online news report added that the shipping company’s crisis team was handling the matter, as relayed by the ministry’s communication adviser Guri Solberg.

The family of the crew have been notified. No information was available about any ransom demand, the report noted.

The seas off West Africa’s oil-rich coastline is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.

Pictures of the week