13 Seafarers Kidnapped Off The Gulf Of Guinea By Pirates
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July 20, 2020Days after the International Maritime Bureau(IMB) designated the Gulf of Guinea as one of the most dangerous shipping routes, 13 seafarers were kidnapped from a product tanker off the West African region.
The tanker bore the flag of Liberia. Named ‘Curacao Trader’, the piracy incident happened some 244 nautical miles south of Cotonou, South-west of Nigeria.
The ship is a 2007 built product tanker, saving a DWT of 11,300. Pirates attacked the ship on July 17.
Representation Image | Curacao Trader – Credits: lomarshipping.com
Alison Management, the ship manager, stated that out of the 19 Ukrainian crew onboard, 13 have been reportedly taken hostage by the pirates.
The crew of Frito Chikuma went near the ship to provide assistance when it was adrift with low manpower after the kidnapping.
Representation Image | Curacao Trader – Credits: lomarshipping.com
The company said in its press release, “No effort shall be spared to achieve their soonest possible release.”
Lomar Shipping, based out of UK, is the reported owner of the vessel.
Representation Image | Curacao Trader – Credits: lomarshipping.com
An IMB report, released days before the kidnapping, stated that 90% of the kidnappings related to the Shipping industry occur in the West African Gulf of Guinea.
In 2020 alone, some 49 crew kidnapping cases have come to be reported. In the last three months alone, some 32 crew member kidnapping cases have come to the forefront.
Reference: sunnewsonline.com
Source: Maritime Shipping News