13 Crew Kidnapped in Tanker Attack

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  • A chemical tanker was attacked by pirates and 13 crew members taken as hostage.
  • The ship is currently drifting with limited manpower onboard.
  • The chemical tanker was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, 230 nm south of Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Tanker AIS was off after pirates boarded the tanker.

According to an article published in Fleetmon, Alison Management Corp. as the management company of the chemical/bunkering tanker MV Curacao Trader advises that its vessel was attacked by pirates approx. 210 miles off the coast of Benin.

What happened?

On July 17, 13 out of its 19 Ukrainian and Russian crew members have been taken hostage by the pirates – as a result, the ship is currently drifting with limited manpower onboard.

Immediate assistance has been secured from nearby refrigerated carrier MV Frio Chikuma, owned by Laskaridis Family interests, which is currently proceeding full speed towards the Curacao Trader with expected ETA at noon today July 18th local time.

Tanker attacked

The chemical tanker was attacked at around 11:00 UTC Jul 17 in the Gulf of Guinea, 230 nm south of Lagos, Nigeria, while en route from Lome Togo to undefined port.

Pirates boarded the tanker and kidnapped 15 crew, according to Dryad/IMB report. They’re believed to be of Russian and Ukrainian nationalities.

Tanker AIS was off after pirates boarded tanker, she reappeared at around 1850 UTC, south of attack position, moving in northern direction at a reduced speed.

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Source: Fleetmon