Based on the data gathered concerning the kidnapping of a Croatian seaman in the Republic of Cameroon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration would like to report the following: the kidnapping took place in the evening hours of 12 September 2010, while the vessel Amerigo Vespucci, whose crewmembers included the kidnapped Croat, was being unloaded at the port of Douala
The kidnapping took place in the evening hours of 12 September 2010, while the vessel Amerigo Vespucci, whose crewmembers included the kidnapped Croat, was being unloaded at the port of Douala.
The kidnapping was carried out with two speedboats by an armed group whose identity is being investigated.
Apart from the Croatian seaman, the group kidnapped another one of the 20-strong crew, a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines. There are three more Croatian seamen onboard.
After the incident, Amerigo Vespucci, owned by the Jan De Nul Group and sailing under the flag of Luxembourg, returned to the anchorage, where all of the crew members gave their depositions to representatives of the relevant Kameroon authorities. The Luxembourgian authorities set up a crisis headquarters to work on releasing the kidnapped seamen.
Press releases
