Tag: IMB

The first incident took place around 50nm of Bonny Island, Nigeria. Around eight armed pirates in a speed boat chased a container vessel. The second incident happened 40nm SSW off Bonny, Nigeria. About 10 pirates in a speed boat, armed with automatic weapons, chased and fired upon a reefer vessel.

Six pirates armed with AK-47 rifles in a black hull speed boat approached and attempted to board a crude oil tanker several times, while the vessel was underway, around 25 nautical miles Southeast of Brass, Nigeria, on 19 February.

A tanker with 22 Indian crew and 13,500 tons of gasoline onboard is missing in the Gulf of Guinea since Friday, 2 February. The 'Marine Express' tanker, operated by Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern, was last seen in Benin’s waters at 3:30 a.m., after which contact was lost.

Two robbers armed with knives boarded a bulk carrier, while anchored at Godau Port, Vietnam, on 31st of January, according to data provided by IMB. The robbers took the bosun hostage, threatened and injured him with a knife and then tied him up.

Union Maritime released a statement in which it informs that its vessel, MT Barrett, a tanker which was at anchor off Benin, West Africa has not been heard from since late on Tuesday 9th January. The company alerted the local authorities on Wednesday and is now exploring all possible options and efforts as it monitor the situation.

A total of 180 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to ICC's IMB in 2017, which is the lowest annual number of incidents since 1995. In particular, in 2017, 136 vessels were boarded, while there were 22 attempted attacks, 16 vessels fired upon and six vessels hijacked.

The hijacking of a small Iranian fishing vessel off Somalia, was the latest incident in a series of hijackings in the so-called High Risk Area (HRA) off Somalia. Although the region had seen piracy incidents decreasing, in recent times they have been revived.

The vessel, the name of which is not yet identified, was boarded by six pirates from a small boat, while underway, around 32 nautical miles South of Brass, Nigeria, on 14 December, according to data provided by IMB Piracy Reporting Centre.

IMB reported that on 11 November, armed pirates boarded a drifting bulk carrier around 17 nautical miles SSW off Bonny Island, Nigeria, kidnapping 10 of the vessel's crewmembers. This incident is another example of the dangerous situation that is occurring in Nigeria.