AFRICA: Pirates Release Tanker and Crew
September 26, 2011 at 1:21 am Leave a comment
Captain, Crew Safe
Pirates operating off the West Coast of Africa have released a hijacked oil tanker and her crew, Reuters reports.
The ship, identified as the Cyprus-flagged, Spanish-owned Mattheos 1 tanker, was taken by pirates Sept. 14 in the Gulf of Guinea about 62 nautical miles southwest of port of Cotonou in Benin, Reuters said, quoting the Spanish foreign ministry.
The mostly Filipino and Cypriot crew of 23 was released with only one seaman injured. Five Spaniards and the ship’s Peruvian captain also were released.
The International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says attacks by armed pirates are increasing in the Gulf of Guinea near Cotonou, Benin’s commercial capital.
CIA World Factbook
Entry filed under: Africa, Homeland Security, International Crime, National Security and Defense, Special Operations. Tags: Africa, Benin, Defense, Gulf of Guinea, International Crime, maritime domain awareness, pirates.
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