MALABO, Equatorial Guinea - Seven crew aboard a supply ship for the oil industry in Equatorial Guinea were kidnapped when "pirates" attacked their vessel, the oil and gas ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The US oil giant ExxonMobil reported the supply ship Warden, which it was chartering from the oil services firm Swire, was attacked on Wednesday in the country's territorial waters, it said.
The 15-member crew comprised nationals from South Africa, the Philippines, Serbia and Cameroon.
"Eight hid and seven were kidnapped," the statement said.
The vessel had left the oilfield of Zafiro, 12 nautical miles off the coast, and was heading to Luba, a port town on the southern island of Bioko, when it was attacked.
The statement gave no details about the kidnappers or their motives.
Equatorial Guinea is located on the southern rim of the Gulf of Guinea, one of the world's hotspots for maritime piracy.
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