Nigerian militants holding six sailors

ESCRAVOS, Nigeria, July 6 (UPI) -- Armed Nigerian militants are holding six members of an oil tanker's crew, including the Russian captain, hostage, the tanker's managers say.

A statement from EMS Ship Management said the Sichem Peace was boarded by armed men about 20 nautical miles from Escravos, Nigeria. The gunmen forced six crew members to come ashore with them, the BBC reported Monday

The company said the ship was then released and its remaining 13 crew members sailed it further offshore. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, issued a communique claiming it was holding the men, whom it identified as three Russians, two Filipinos and an Indian, because the ship had ignored earlier warnings to stay away, the British broadcaster said.

"Their arrest is meant to serve as a warning to others that there are root issues that have to be resolved with the Nigerian government before normalcy can resume," MEND's statement said.

EMS told the British network it was "working with the relevant authorities and professional advisers, and doing everything possible to secure the timely and safe release of the crew members."