Pirates have seized a Russian-built tugboat and its six crew including a British captain off the coast of Somalia, the Foreign Office in London and the vessel's owners said Monday. The Svitzer Korsakov, also carrying an Irish chief engineer, a Russian first officer and three Russian crewmen, was captured Friday, said a spokeswoman for the British ministry.
"We are aware that a ship has been seized off the coast of Somalia. We are urgently investigating the matter. We understand the captain of the ship is a British national," she said.
Denmark-based maritime services company Svitzer said that the vessel "was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Friday... and is now at anchor in Somali waters. "As a result of direct contact with the vessel, it is understood that all six men are unharmed. Appropriate measures are in place to seek the safe release of the crew," it said in a statement on its website. "Negotiations are ongoing," added a London spokesman for the company, declining to give any more details.