Armed Pirates Board Tanker off Nigeria
Illustration; Image Courtesy: Forte MaritimePirates armed with guns boarded a product tanker approaching the Bonny Fairway Buoy, Nigeria, on March 6, 2018, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre said.
As informed, the crew raised the alarm and activated ship security alert system (SSAS) before mustering in the citadel.
The Nigerian Navy was notified and patrol boats were immediately deployed to assist the unnamed vessel.
As all crew were in the citadel, the pirates were unable to take any hostages, according to IMB ICC. However, they damaged some navigation and communication equipment and escaped.
Later, the master and crew emerged from the citadel and took back control of the tanker and sailed to a safe port. All crew were reported safe.
The incident happened around 21 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island.
In late February 2018, two vessels were attacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off the coast of Bonny Island. Both attacks were aborted due to defensive measures undertaken by the vessels’ crew.
