courtesy Eidesvik Offshore

The crew of a Norwegian-owned subsea construction ship offshore Nigeria has foiled an attack by pirates intent on hijacking, kidnapping or robbery, Norwegian media reported Tuesday.

“It surprised us,” Eidesvik managing director Jan Fredrik Meling told NRK TV news.

The 52-strong crew includes 12 Norwegians and 40 internationals.

Meling said the company will reconsider whether it can continue to work at the ExxonMobil-operated Idahoe field.

“That must be re-evaluated,” he said, adding that the far offshore — 30 nautical miles from land — had been considered safe.

It’s the second incident at sea involving a Norway-based vessel operating offshore Nigeria in as many weeks. The crew of a Bourbon ship was captured and then released after speedy intervention from Bourbon and Nigerian officials.

It’s not known how the crew of Eidesvik Viking Forcados fended off the attack, but the captain reported back that all were well onboard. The ship had been attacked in the early hours of darkness Tuesday.

An Eidesvik account said two or three small boats came up alongside the sub-sea vessel and some of the pirates got on deck. They failed to enter the ship’s superstructure and after firing off shots at the bridge they left.

The 87-metre-long ship had been working on a pipeline.

Tags: Eidesvik Offshore