Sailors assigned to the guided-missle cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) approach a life boat to rescue crew members from the Liberian-flagged motor vessel MT Brilliante Virtuoso, July 6, 2011. U.S. Navy Photo

Watch: Inside the Hijacking of a $100 Million Oil Tanker

Bloomberg

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September 23, 2022

By Kit Chellel, Matthew Campbell and Angus Bennett (Bloomberg) —

In July 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was drifting through the treacherous Gulf of Aden when a crew of pirates attacked and set her ablaze. When David Mockett, a maritime surveyor, inspected the vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. Not long after, Mockett was killed in a car bombing.

Bloomberg reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, in their 2022 book, “Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy,” published by Portfolio, pull back the curtain on the byzantine and often corrupt world of international shipping. In this episode of Bloomberg’s Storylines, they tell the tale of one of the biggest insurance fraud cases in history—and the damage and death that came with it.

The book Dead In The Water, A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy is available today via Amazon.