Armed persons boarded and hijacked an anchored chemical tanker and its crew hostage. The Togo Navy received a call from the owners that their tanker had been attacked and immediately responded by dispatching patrol boats to investigate. The tanker was intercepted 25nm from the anchorage area and forced to return to Lome port. The crew were reported safe and the armed persons were captured and handed over to the Authorities.
Protection Vessels International: Weekly Maritime Security Report
Nigeria: Robbers board tanker in Lagos Anchorage
03 May
Two robbers boarded a tanker and were spotted by crew near the cargo tank at 0110 hrs local time. The crew raised the alarm and the robbers fled with their hose. Nothing was reported stolen.
Nigeria: Robbers target heavy lift carrier in Gulf of Guinea
05 May
An unspecified number of robbers boarded and attacked a heavy lift carrier at about 1200 hrs local time, some 90 nm southwest of the Port of Brass Oil Terminal in the Gulf of Guinea. The robbers approached the lift carrier on a tug boat they had hijacked hours earlier in the Gulf of Guinea. Crew on duty spotted the robbers, sounded the alarm and mustered in the citadel. The robbers demanded crew give up their valuables and fired through a small hole into the citadel, but no injuries were reported. Authorities received the ship’s distress call and deployed a NATO vessel to the area, freed the vessel and arrested the robbers. Vessel and crew were reported safe and were escorted to the port.
Nigeria: Robbers board supply vessel at Onne port
07 May
Two robbers boarded a supply vessel at about 0245 hrs local time at Federal Ocean Terminal of Onne port. The robbers used a canoe to approach the supply vessel. Crew on duty spotted the robbers and sounded the alarm. The robbers escaped upon hearing the alarm. No goods were reported stolen. Crew were reported safe.
PVI Analysis: Nigerian waters remain high risk for criminality. Crew and vessels are vulnerable to opportunist thieves at anchorage and more sophisticated kidnap for ransom attacks, which typically occur 10 – 150 nautical miles off Nigeria’s coastline. Pirates are often armed and violent and there is precedent for attackers to persist when under attack from armed security teams until they have been injured or killed.
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