IMO issues warning to vessel owners over piracy in Nigeria
Currently, piratesseized an oil tanker with over 20 crew on board off the coast of Nigeria Following the seizure of a Malta flagged vessel by pirates in Nigeria, the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO) has warned vessels owners on the danger of sailing to Nigeria.Confirming the development the influential International Maritime Bureau (IMB) stated, weekend, that gunmen boarded the Malta flagged tanker; MT Halifax as it sat in waters off the coast of Port Harcourt.According to security report, the pirates took over control of the ship and sailed off into the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, and are holding onto the crew as they offload the crude oil in the ship's hold.According to GAC, "communication was reportedly lost with the vessel around 1100 local time on 1 November in an area around 175NM south of Lagos, and 243 NM west of Port Harcourt. The vessel's last reported point of contact is near to where two vessels were boarded in October, one of which was successfully hijacked and held for five days before release."It remains unclear how many crew members were taken or if any have been injured. The Halifax, registered in Malta, is managed by Ancora Investment Trust Inc. of ...
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