Tanker Boarded by Pirates in Gulf of Guinea

A tanker has been boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, coming less than a month after the successful hijacking of the MT Monjasa Reformer.

The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) information center reports that the latest incident occurred Monday, April 10, approximately 300 nautical miles (nm) south-southwest of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

The EOS Risk Group commented that the latest incident suggests it is likely another vessel was used to support the pirates. “Either a mothership was used to deploy a skiff, or a secondary tanker is in the vicinity to illegally offload the boarded vessel’s cargo. The latter was most recently demonstrated during the double boarding and robbery of MT B. Ocean’s cargo in January and November of 2022,” according to a maritime security incident alert.

EOS Risk Group says latest boarding incident shows West African pirates’ ability to conduct piracy further from shore. Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant, maintaining strict anti-piracy watch and measures.

The communication with the Monjasa Reformer was lost after it was attacked by armed pirates 140nm west of the Republic of Congo’s Port Pointe-Noire on March 26. The vessel was eventually located four days later approximately 90nm south of Bonny, Nigeria, with six crew members missing.

The number of incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery reported worldwide fell to its lowest recorded level in almost three decades last year, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau.

The Gulf of Guinea, in particular, witnessed a much needed reduction in the number of piracy incidents and crew kidnappings, with IMB data revealing 19 reported incidents in 2022, down from 35 the year before. However, The IMB has warned that sustained efforts are needed to ensure the continued safety of seafarers in the region, which remains dangerous as proven by these latest incidents.

The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) is a cooperation center between the Royal Navy (UKMTO) and the French Navy (MICA-Center). It aims to improve maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea through the sharing of information and the coordination of responses to maritime incidents.

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