Jakarta/Gabon. Four Indonesian nationals were among nine crew members kidnapped by pirates during an attack on a fishing vessel operating in Gabonese waters in Central Africa, Indonesian and Gabonese authorities said on Monday.

The attack occurred on Jan. 11, 2026, when the Gabon-flagged fishing vessel IB FISH 7 — also identified as Liang Peng Yu 828 — was operating about seven nautical miles southeast of Equata, according to Gabon’s Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Charles Hubert Bekale Meyong.

“The Gabon-flagged fishing vessel IB FISH 7 was attacked by pirates while fishing about seven nautical miles southeast of Equata in Gabonese waters,” Meyong said in a statement broadcast by state television Gabon 24.

Gabon’s Defense Ministry said the attackers were three armed men who abducted nine crew members from the vessel. The kidnapped crew included five Chinese nationals and four Indonesian citizens.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident and said three other crew members — including two Indonesians — were not abducted and remain safe aboard the vessel.

“We have received information that on Jan. 11, 2026, a pirate attack occurred against the fishing vessel IB FISH 7 in the waters of Equata, Gabon,” said Heni Hamidah, acting director for the protection of Indonesian citizens at the Foreign Ministry.

She said the vessel carried a total of 12 crew members, nine of whom were kidnapped. “Meanwhile, three crew members, including two Indonesian nationals, are currently in safe condition and remain on the same vessel,” Heni said.

Gabon’s navy is currently pursuing the perpetrators, according to both Gabonese and Indonesian officials. The three crew members who were not abducted have been escorted by the Gabonese Navy to Libreville, the capital of Gabon.

Following the attack, Gabonese security forces secured the vessel, which had briefly been under the control of the attackers, and ensured its safe arrival at port.

Heni said the Foreign Ministry, through the Indonesian Embassy in Yaoundé, Cameroon, immediately coordinated with local authorities, the vessel’s company and agents, and other relevant parties to accelerate rescue efforts for the kidnapped crew, obtain up-to-date information on the health and condition of the Indonesian sailors, and ensure that their labor rights continue to be fulfilled.

“The Foreign Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Yaoundé will continue to closely monitor developments and handle this case,” she said.

Local prosecutors in Gabon have opened a formal investigation into the kidnapping, focusing on the identity of the perpetrators, their motives, and the possibility of a transnational criminal network