Abuja: Pirates hijacked a Singapore owned oil tanker with 23 sailors on board off the Nigerian coast in the Gulf of Guinea, the third attack in just over two weeks in the area, the International Maritime Bureau said today.
The vessel ‘MT Abu Dhabi star’ with 23 sailors on board, whose nationalities are yet to be ascertained, was sailing towards the open sea when it was seized, the IMB said, adding the Nigerian authorities have been notified of the attack.
According to IMB, the sailors locked themselves in a safe room to avoid harm by the attackers, who are suspected to be oil thieves from Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
The organisation disclosed that the Gulf of Guinea where the attack took place has had 37 attacks on ships this year alone.
Naval sources told PTI that the attackers normally siphon oil from the ships and release them after a few days.
Last week, an oil vessel was seized by pirates, off the Coast of Togolese capital of Lome and released few days later near Nigeria with its 23 Russian crew members. (PTI)