Jakarta. Indonesia is coordinating closely with China to secure the release of four Indonesian fishing vessel crew members kidnapped by pirates in waters off Gabon, Foreign Minister Sugiono said on Wednesday.

Sugiono said the government is intensively monitoring developments in the case, including through ongoing communication with the Chinese Embassy, as Chinese nationals were also among those abducted.

He said the weekend attack resulted in the kidnapping of four Indonesian nationals and five Chinese nationals by a pirate group operating in the area.

“The reports are being monitored on an hourly basis, and every new development is being followed up,” Sugiono said.

Indonesia’s embassy in Yaounde has also been instructed to closely track the situation and coordinate with relevant authorities as efforts continue to gather updated information on the condition of the hostages, he added.

Earlier, Gabonese Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Charles Hubert Bekale Meyong said a Gabon-flagged fishing vessel, IB FISH 7, was attacked by pirates while operating around seven nautical miles southeast of Equata in Gabonese waters.

According to a statement from Gabon’s defense ministry read by Meyong, the attackers consisted of three armed men.

Following the hijacking, Gabonese security forces were able to locate the fishing vessel after it was abandoned by the attackers. The ship was subsequently secured and escorted safely to the country’s main port under naval protection.

The Gabonese government said maritime security measures in its waters have since been tightened to prevent similar incidents. Pirate activity in Central African waters remains a persistent concern, particularly for fishing vessels and commercial ships operating in the region.

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