The 2008 South Korean built crude oil tanker ALPINE PENELOPE belonging to Greece’s Oceangold Tankers, was attacked 76 nautical miles southwest of Cotonou as the ship made her way towards Lagos, Nigeria with nine crew kidnapped.
It was reported that the officer on watch identified two armed men onboard. It is understood that an alert was sent by the tanker, following which communications were lost.This is the seventh incident to occur in the waters off Cotonou in the space of just one month, two of which have resulted in kidnappings.
As the Gulf of Guinea has become the worst area for ship attacks over the past 18 months with many seafarers kidnapped, a growing number of shipping bodies are calling for an international naval coalition to patrol the region. In fact at the time of writing the 2018 built Nigerian Patrol Craft NNS NGURU P 187 is near the tanker.
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Friday 21st February 2020