Dryad Global, maritime security company, reported that 10 crew members have been kidnapped from a product tanker carrier 178 nautical miles south of Lagos, Nigeria, in the Gulf of Guinea.
Specifically, it is stated that a speedboat with an unknown number of pirates attacked the the Vemahope on April 30, kidnapping 10 crew and leaving four behind. If confirmed, this incident would be the seventh deep offshore incident within the Nigerian EEZ in 2020 and would mean 42 crew have now been kidnapped from vessels operating in West Africa this year.
In addition, the security company informed of another incident, concerning two trawlers that were boarded and crew kidnapped off Libreville, Gabon. The vessels were 20 and 36 nautical miles from shore at the time, and three have been kidnapped from each vessel. A single group of 13 pirates is believed to be responsible.
Following, another boarding incident took place 2.5 nautical miles east of Takoradi Port, Ghana, on April 30. Six pirates were arrested while attempting to board the LPG tanker Epic Bermuda. Reports suggest that during the initial boarding attempt the Officer on Watch noticed the pirates and sounded the alarm. The authorities at Takoradi then dispatched a patrol vessel to assist. The crew are reported safe.
Dryad commented that this is the fourth incident in the waters off Takoradi this year and the third within three nautical miles of Takoradi Port.
See also:
- Pirates abduct Captain and crew from containership off Benin
- BMP West Africa: New guidance to deter piracy issued
