Armed pirates who stormed oil tanker "SP Brussels" off Nigeria kidnapped five Indian crew members and snatched their personal belongings, Medallion Marine confirmed on Wednesday.

Medallion Marine, the operator of the SP Brussels tanker, said in a statement that five Indian sailors onboard the oil tanker were kidnapped by heavily armed pirates nearly 40 miles off the coast of the Niger Delta region.

Martin Baxendale, a spokesperson for Medallion Marine, said, "The pirates ransacked the vessel for personal belongings and took five crew members with them on their departure." The spokesperson added that those kidnapped were Indians.

The spokesperson added that the company was in touch with the Nigerian police and other authorities who were working to get the kidnapped men released.

Other five crew members, who were left by the pirates on the oil tanker, sailed the vessel a port in Lagos.

Separately, sources from Directorate General of Shipping office revealed that those kidnapped by pirates included captain, chief engineer and first officer of the ship.

Incidents of oil theft and kidnappings have become common in the Niger Delta - Africa's main oil region. Ships off the southern commercial city of Lagos also suffered similar attacks.

In August, pirates ransacked an oil vessel off the Coast of Togolese capital of Lome and kidnapped its 23 Russian crew members. A few days later on September 4th, pirates hijacked a Singaporean ship MT Abu Dhabi Star off the shores of Nigeria and held its 23 Indian sailors hostage.