By Noah Browning LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - African states like Chad and Cameroon are shaping up to be big winners from new rules to cut sulfur emissions from ships, providing just the right type of oil to produce cleaner fuels. Only around 1% of the world's crude oil exports are heavy and sweet varieties, ideal for refining into fuel with a maximum 0.5% sulfur content … [Read more...]
Pirates Kidnap 8 from German-Owned Cargo Ship Off Cameroon
Pirates kidnapped eight crew members from a general cargo ship off the coast of Cameroon in West Africa. The vessel's Hamburg, Germany-based shipowner, MC-Schiffahrt, confirmed the incident in a statement posted to its website. The company said its MV MarMalaita was attacked Thursday, August 14, between 23.00h and 24.00h local time at the Douala anchorage in … [Read more...]
Pirates Kidnap Ten Turkish Sailors Off Nigeria
ANKARA, July 16 (Reuters) - Ten Turkish sailors were taken hostage by armed pirates who attacked a Turkish-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, the vessel's owner said on Tuesday, adding that another eight sailors were left safely aboard. Turkey's foreign ministry said the sailors were seized on Saturday evening. After the pirates left the ship it was taken to … [Read more...]
Opinion: How to Stop Pirates Plaguing West Africa
(Bloomberg Opinion) --Remember those Somali pirates? Earlier this decade, they brazenly hijacked giant oil tankers, demanded ransoms in the millions of dollars, and gave Tom Hanks yet another chance to play the everyman overcoming a life-defining crisis. Now, thanks to a multinational naval crackdown and tighter security measures by shippers, they’ve been forced back to dry … [Read more...]
Heavy Lift Vessel Blue Marlin Attacked by Pirates Off West Africa
The Boskalis semi-submersible heavy lift vessel Blue Marlin was ransacked by pirates offshore West Africa on Sunday, causing damage that has left the ship inoperable. All 20 crew members are reported safe and in good health. Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. confirmed Tuesday that the vessel was "hijacked" approximately 80 nautical miles off the coast of Equatorial … [Read more...]