Nigerian pirates rob ship, kidnap 2 crew

An international maritime watchdog says armed pirates have robbed a cargo ship anchored in a Nigerian port and kidnapped at least two crew members in the latest attack off Africa's west coast.

An international maritime watchdog says armed pirates have robbed a cargo ship anchored in a Nigerian port and kidnapped at least two crew members in the latest attack off Africa's west coast.

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The International Maritime Bureau echoes a warning by the United Nations that pirate attacks off West Africa's Gulf of Guinea are becoming more rampant and violent.

Noel Choong of the bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting center says pirates fired at the Curacao-flagged vessel before boarding it Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He says they robbed the crew before fleeing and took the captain and the chief engineer with them.

He said on Wednesday that a crew member was injured and another was reported missing.