According Dryad Global the officer on watch saw two armed men onboard and an alert was sent before communications were cut. The report from Dryad said that nine of the 24 crew were kidnapped. The vessel was reported to then be proceeding to Lagos. It is understood that an alert was sent by the tanker, after which communications were lost, according to Dryad.
During 2019, the waters offshore Benin and Togo became more dangerous, in both volume and severity, Dryad said, calling for all vessels transiting the area to conduct risk assessments and implement mitigation measures.
According Dryad Global the officer on watch saw two armed men onboard and an alert was sent before communications were cut. The report from Dryad said that nine of the 24 crew were kidnapped. The vessel was reported to then be proceeding to Lagos.
“This latest incident has occurred only 11nm west from an illegal boarding event on 19 January 20. In this incident, the container ship Atlantic Discoverer was illegally boarded by two unknown persons with five persons identified as being alongside in a skiff. Within 2019 the waters off Lomé and Cotonou witnessed an increase in both volume and severity of maritime crime incidents,” Dryad said.
Maritime Business World