ACCRA, March 29 – Three Chinese nationals are missing from Ghanaian waters and believed to have been kidnapped after a “suspected pirate attack” on Thursday on their Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel, the West African nation’s military said in a statement Saturday.
Seven armed people boarded the ship and fired warning shots shortly before 6 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Thursday, the statement said, adding that they stayed on board for about three hours while some crew members hid.
After the suspected pirates left and the crew came out of hiding, they discovered that the ship’s captain, chief mate and chief engineer were missing, according to the armed forces.
The vessel, MENGXIN 1, is now docked at Tema Fishing Harbour, the statement said.
It said Ghana’s navy is investigating a “suspected pirate attack”.
The Chinese embassy in Accra declined to comment.
REUTERS
