Armed Pirates singled out two American citizens during an attack on a US-flagged oil ship in the Gulf of Guinea off of Nigeria, making off with the hostages.  They are the ship’s captain and chief engineer.

“We are seeking additional information about the incident so that we may contribute to safely resolving the situation,” said US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf, “Obviously our concern at this point is for the safe return of the two US citizens.”

The FBI is taking the point in the investigation and so far, US officials believe it is a kidnapping-for-ransom case – not a politically motivated act.

The Gulf of Guinea produces some 5.4 million barrels of oil a day, and about 30 percent of US oil imports come from the region.  Oil operations are serviced by slow moving ships that provide attractive targets to pirates.  Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea accounted for 30 percent of the 1,434 reported piracy attacks in African waters between 2003 and 2011 and the pace of attacks has risen since then.