Even though it admitted that the oil tanker was attacked, owners of the ill-fated SP Brussels which has been an object of gun battle between the Nigeria Navy and deadly pirates have cleared the air over the attack on the ship.
Medaillon Reederei; the owners said last week, that contrary to media reports, no crew was killed when the ship was attacked on April 29, while enroute Lagos from Port Harcourt.
Even though it admitted that the oil tanker was attacked, owners of the ill-fated SP Brussels which has been an object of gun battle between the Nigeria Navy and deadly pirates have cleared the air over the attack on the ship.
Medaillon Reederei; the owners said last week, that contrary to media reports, no crew was killed when the ship was attacked on April 29, while enroute Lagos from Port Harcourt.
In a public statement on the attack, which was obtained by Shipping Position Daily, Medaillon Reederei said that “following an attack by pirates on April 29 the master of its oil products tanker SP Brussels did not suffer fatal injuries and is in good health”.
“SP Brussels came under attack on the night of April 29th when the vessel was en route from Port Harcourt to Lagos. Sadly one of the valued crew members suffered fatal injuries with one other seafarer sustaining minor injuries. Two of the attackers died following crossfire with the security guards on board the ship”. “Regrettably two of the crew were unable to reach the citadel during the vicious attack on the ship”. The statement added that the duo were injured, but not killed by the pirates.
“At no stage during the events the remaining 15 crew members and the security guards of SP Brussels were held hostage by the attackers nor did the pirates take full control of the ship or its cargo. When the armed guards left the citadel in the early morning hours of April 30 to establish the security situation they discovered the casualties on board the vessel and confirmed the pirates had left the vessel”, the statement explained.
Initial reports of the attack had it that the oil tanker had been attacked about 120 nautical miles outside Lagos waters, on her way from Port Harcourt, by eight heavily armed pirates who overtook them in two speed boats.
Two of the pirates reportedly remained on each of the speedboats to man it, while six others boarded the oil tanker vessel and in an exchange of gun fire with the two police escorts attached to the vessel, allegedly shot dead two of the crew members; an Indian and the Captain.
It was gathered that after the pirates had successfully disarmed the police and taken possession of the vessel, the frightened crew members made up of Indians, Pakistanis and Ghanaians fled to the Citadel to hide.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that two of the pirates were eventually killed, while six were arrested in a gun duel with Nigerian navy, who had were on the trail of the ship.
The feat was performed by Navy personnel drawn from two of its ships; NNS Benin and NNS Ikot- Abasi, which had been drafted to rescue the MT SP Brussels at the Lagos anchorage.
Security reports confirmed that, two of the pirates who had earlier hijacked the vessel were eventually gunned down by the Navy.
The navy also rescued 15 out of the 17 crew members and the two police escorts onboard, but are yet to release the vessel in its custody to the vessel’s agent; Super Maritime Nigeria Limited.
The oil tanker MT SP Brussels is registered with IMO number 9387164 and MMSI 538003624 (current flag – Marshall Islands, built in 2007).
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