ABUJA, March 7 (Reuters) - Pirates attacked an oil industrysupply vessel in Nigerian waters this week and kidnapped threecrew, security sources said on Thursday, in the latest attackoff the coast of Africa's biggest crude producer.
The captain, chief engineer and second engineer wereabducted on Monday when gunmen boarded the Malaysia-flaggedArmada Tuah 22 around 50 nautical miles (90 km) off the coast ofthe Brass region in the Niger Delta, three security sourcessaid.
One of the sailors kidnapped was Indonesian, the sourcessaid. The vessel is a tugboat contracted to supply an offshoreoil platform. Nigeria's navy spokesman gave no comment.
A fishing vessel, Orange 7, was attacked on March 2 in asimilar position and one of the crew was killed, sources said.
There has been a surge in piracy attacks off the coast ofAfrica's most populous nation this year with gangs showing signsof moving further afield and using more violent tactics.
Oil majors Exxon Mobil and Shell said lastmonth that security was a major factor in making Nigeria one ofthe most expensive oil-producing countries to operate in.
Oil and shipping companies have to hire crisis managementteams, pay higher insurance premiums and face the prospect ofransom payments, as well as brace themselves for damage to theirreputations.
The prime suspects for most attacks are Nigerian oil gangs,who already carry out industrial-scale theft of crude oil, knownas 'bunkering', in the restive onshore Niger Delta swamplands.
