Armed pirates boarded and hijacked an offshore supply vessel, about 68 nautical miles west of Pointe Noire, Congo, on October 29, IMB reported. Four crewmembers were kidnapped, while one member is reportedly injured.
An offshore supply vessel was boarded and hijacked by armed pirates, who taken as all crew of the vessel as hostages.
Pirates made the crew lie on deck while they ransacked and stole crew and ship’s properties.
The pirates kidnapped four crew and escaped, while the remaining crew sailed the vessel to a safe port, with one crew reported as injured.
Bridge equipment was damaged during the attack.
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One day before this incident, pirates boarded a container ship off Nigeria, kidnapping 11 crew including eight from Poland. The container ship ‘MV Pomerania Sky’ was heading to the Nigerian port of Onne.
In the latest report by IMB on piracy incidents, there were 156 incidents in the first nine months of 2018.
The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 57 of the 156 reported incidents. Most of these incidents have been reported in and around Nigeria (41), and there has also been a noticeable increase in the number of vessels boarded at the Takoradi anchorage, in Ghana.
In addition, 37 of the 39 crew kidnappings for ransom globally have taken place in the Gulf of Guinea region, in seven separate incidents.