SINGAPORE/ABIDJAN – A Singapore-registered oil tanker was boarded by “unidentified persons” about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off Ivory Coast within the Gulf of Guinea on Monday, the city-state’s authorities stated on Tuesday night time.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) stated that the tanker Success 9 had 20 crew onboard of varied nationalities, and one in every of them was Singaporean.
The MPA stated it was working carefully with the ship proprietor, the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and the Information Fusion Centre on the Changi Command and Control Centre to observe the scenario and render the required help.
No additional particulars got, together with the nationalities of the opposite crew members.
An Ivorian safety supply concerned within the matter stated a patrol boat had been despatched out to rescue the tanker, however was unable to find it as a result of its beacon had been turned off.
“We think it’s an act of piracy because the modus operandi is the same,” the supply, who didn’t want to be named, advised Reuters.
“We have sought external help from Spain and from Europe,” the supply added.
The Gulf of Guinea has grow to be a world piracy hotspot in recent times though circumstances have fallen there since 2021 as nationwide authorities stepped up safety efforts aided by international naval ships, based on the U.N. Security Council.
Pirates hijacked a Danish-owned ship off the Republic of Congo final month and kidnapped a few of the crew earlier than abandoning the vessel. — Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
