On 17 July the product vessel MT Curcacao Ttader was been boarded 244nm South Cotonou in Nigeria, by 8 armed individuals. The pirates kidnapped 15 crew.
According to Dryad Global, the vessel departed Lomé port sailing South before its speed dropped to 3kts at the indicated time of attack. The vessel have drifted until 1515hrs before returning to 10kts. The vessel status is currently showing as ‘Not Under Command’.
The location of this incident is the furthest offshore an act of piracy has been recorded within the Gulf of Guinea. In spite of the presence of speedboats, it remains highly likely that the perpetrators are being supported by a larger mother vessel, allowing them to sustain deep offshore operations beyond state counter piracy efforts.
This latest incident brings the total number of kidnapped crew in incidents within the Gulf of Guinea to 93 across 18 kidnapping incidents.
Incidents of kidnapping within the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 are currently tracking at a 20% increase when compared to the same time-frame in 2019.
The total volume of personnel kidnapped in maritime incidents within the Gulf of Guinea is tracking at a 47% increase when compared to the same time frame in 2019.
