The 15-minute encounter yesterday took place in the middle of the river with the militants in five boats and journalists in two.
Hawkins seemed upbeat despite being surrounded by gunmen standing over him with Kalashnikov automatic rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and tripod-mounted machine guns.
He repeated militant demands that neutral third parties, such as the United Nations or President Bush, get involved in negotiating the release of the hostages, who also include two other Americans, two Egyptians, two Thais, one Briton, and one Filipino.
The militants have said they don't trust President Olusegun Obasanjo.
''You need to get the UN involved. They can do a lot of good," Hawkins said.
The hostages were seized from a barge belonging to Houston-based oil services company Willbros Group Inc., which was laying pipeline for the oil company Royal Dutch Shell. Nigeria is Africa's top crude producer, exporting 2.5 million barrels a day.
Hawkins said his lunch yesterday consisted of eggs, noodles, and tea. He had a box of juice with him and a jar of peanuts.
The presentation came as militants issued photos of people they claimed were the nine kidnapped foreigners. In an e-mail, they also threatened more attacks on oil workers and the country's oil industry.
The militants released a separate statement saying the photos, which appeared slightly out of focus, were ''pictures of our hostages with a section of the unit that secured their capture."
They denied reports that any negotiations were taking place to secure the hostages' release, but called for independent mediators.
''Oil industry workers should accept that we are going nowhere very soon and will show little mercy especially in facilities previously attacked," the militants said. ''We are continuing with our attacks on oil facilities and oil workers in the next few days. We will act without further warning."
