"The attackers took 6 people, including the captain of the vessel, hostage and fled. All those captured are citizens of Russia", the Russian Embassy in Benin confirmed on Facebook.
READ MORE: Pirates Attack MSC Mandy Vessel Off Benin's Coast, 6 Kidnapped — Maritime Agency
The Russian Embassy in Nigeria, for its part, has said it was cooperating with local authorities to rescue the abducted crew members. The rest of the vessel's crew are not in danger, the diplomats added.
Russian investigators have in the meanwhile addressed the issue as well.
"The chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has tasked the Central Investigation Department of the Russian Investigative Committee with organising an investigative check of media information about the kidnapping of crew members from the vessel MSC Mandy sailing under the Panamanian flag", Svetlana Petrenko, the official spokesperson for the committee, said.