Owners of missing United Kingdom- based tanker; MT Barrett; Union Maritime yesterday raised fresh alarm that it was yet to secure contact with neither the tanker nor the 22 crew members since January 9, when it was last sighted.
The vessel was last reported to be at anchor off Benin Republic. There are fears that the ship and its crew may have been hijacked by pirates.
In a statement yesterday, Union Maritime explained that: “On Wednesday, we alerted local maritime authorities and are exploring all possible options and efforts as we continuously monitor the situation’’..
“Whilst we are tirelessly working to locate the vessel, our primary concern is for the 22 crew on board and ensuring their safety’’, the company lamented.
Union Maritime added that it regularly operates from ports in this region and has a rigorous safety and security protocol.
“Crews are repeatedly drilled in all safety and emergency procedures’’, itadded.
The MT Barrett (IMO: 9351749) is a 11999-DWT tanker built 2005 and registered in the Marshall Islands.
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