Pirates boarded the tanker ‘Elka Aristotle’ on 4 November, off Lome, Togo, kidnapping 4 crew members, European Navigation confirmed. Now, the company is trying to free the kidnapped crew, highlighting that the safety of its crew is of paramount importance.
The attack took place by armed pirates off Togo, who managed to board the ship, despite it having at least one guard on board, as the security force’s attempts to prevent the attackers were not successful.
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Shots were fired, during which a guard was shot and wounded, and the pirates went on to kidnap four out of the 24 seafarers on board. The victims include one Greek national, one Georgian and two Philippine nationals.
The vessel and remaining crew are safe, according to European Navigation, which added that:
We cannot comment in detail at the present time, except to say that the safety and security of our people is of paramount importance to us and we are doing everything we can to ensure their prompt and safe release
The Greek government is informed about the incident and is monitoring the situation. As for European Navigation, it did not provide any more details, highlighting that the safety and security of its crew is of paramount importance and is doing everything it can to ‘ensure their prompt and safe release.’
