Panama-flag vessel Oya1 was boarded late on the evening of 30 June, resulting in six crew members have been abducted from a general cargo ship anchored off Douala in Cameroon.
In particular, the ship was about one nautical mile (1.8 km) off the port at the time, and had been anchored there since the previous day. Ambrey observed two Cameroonian military vessels responding to the incident, arriving at the scene within minutes. They left a little over an hour later.
As explained, three days before the kidnapping, shipowners were alerted to an increased threat of pirate attacks off West Africa. The previous week, seafarers were injured when a Swiss bulker was boarded off Conakry in Guinea.
Security companies reported that crew members were attacked during the 30-minute raid on a Marshall Islands-flag vessel 33 km (21 miles) south-west of the port. Four criminals boarded the ship with bladed weapons and used force to take money from the safe before fleeing.
Unfortunately, the General cargo vessel Oya1 was also attacked by pirates in July 2017, around 15nm off Bonny Island, Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea, where again some crew members were kidnapped.
Maritime Security Alert 🚨
Kidnap amongst multiple incidents at Douala, Cameroon#maritime #maritimesecurity #security #shipsandshipping #shippingindustry #maritimeindustry #pirates #westafrica #africa #security #douala #cameroon pic.twitter.com/tb8jKK4D4X
— EOS Risk Group (@EosRisk) July 1, 2023
