Pirates release tanker hijacked off Togo
25 Aug 2012 7:33 AM IST
Pirates have released a British-managed oil tanker, five days after hijacking it off Togo in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Maritime Bureau said on Friday.
The loaded tanker with 17 crew and a technician on board was hijacked on Sunday about 20 nautical miles off the port of Lome in Togo, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB’s piracy reporting centre based in Malaysia.
Pirates released the Panama-flagged vessel, which was transporting gas oil, 19 nautical miles off Lagos in Nigeria Thursday, Choong said.
None of those on board was injured, Choong added. He could not immediately give further details.
But Choong warned authorities and ships plying the area off western Africa to be vigilant.
‘We urge authorities in the area to beef up patrols to stop this menace,’ he told AFP. ‘The pirates in this area are violent... We are warning ships to stay vigilant and maintain strict anti-piracy watches.’
The Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa has seen 35 attacks, including several hijackings, kidnappings and killings, so far this year, Choong said.
The loaded tanker with 17 crew and a technician on board was hijacked on Sunday about 20 nautical miles off the port of Lome in Togo, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB’s piracy reporting centre based in Malaysia.
Pirates released the Panama-flagged vessel, which was transporting gas oil, 19 nautical miles off Lagos in Nigeria Thursday, Choong said.
None of those on board was injured, Choong added. He could not immediately give further details.
But Choong warned authorities and ships plying the area off western Africa to be vigilant.
‘We urge authorities in the area to beef up patrols to stop this menace,’ he told AFP. ‘The pirates in this area are violent... We are warning ships to stay vigilant and maintain strict anti-piracy watches.’
The Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa has seen 35 attacks, including several hijackings, kidnappings and killings, so far this year, Choong said.
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