Undaunted by recent serial killings of their ‘compatriots’, a group of pirates on Wednesday attacked a chemical tanker around the ever-busy Pennington Oil Terminal in the Niger Delta.
Although the identity of the tanker could not be ascertained as a t press time, it was nevertheless confirmed that it happened about 4 nautical miles to the oil terminal.
Security sources confirmed to Shipping Position Daily yesterday that the attack was repelled by the armed security guard on board the oil tanker.
Undaunted by recent serial killings of their ‘compatriots’, a group of pirates on Wednesday attacked a chemical tanker around the ever-busy Pennington Oil Terminal in the Niger Delta.
Although the identity of the tanker could not be ascertained as a t press time, it was nevertheless confirmed that it happened about 4 nautical miles to the oil terminal.
Security sources confirmed to Shipping Position Daily yesterday that the attack was repelled by the armed security guard on board the oil tanker.
According to one of the sources, “a speed boat approached a chemical tanker underway with intent to board. The 2/O raised the alarm, alerted the crew and made evasive manoeuvres to prevent the boarding”.
The pirates tried to board the vessel using hooks attached to a rope. The on board security team fired warning shots at the boat and the pirates retaliated by returning fire.
Facing resistance the pirates aborted the attempt to board the vessel, our sources informed.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that twice last week sea pirates engaged the Navy in a gun battle off the coast of Calabar in Nigerian and Cameroonian waters, the Nigeria navy fired back, killing the six pirates, and wounding one other who is in custody.
The operation is the latest in a string of victories for the Nigerian navy that has ramped up its presence offshore and bolstered it with support from its air forces. In the last two weeks the navy has killed 18 pirates in battles and arrested five others the same spokesman informed the news source.
In one of the encounters, four suspected sea pirates were feared dead, while a naval officer, Seaman, Barau Ibrahim, suffered a gunshot wound after a shootout with men of the NNS Victory of the Nigerian Navy in Calabar along the Calabar channel.
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