EMEA News
Suspected Hijacking of Tanker off Angola
An oil tanker may have been hijacked off the coast of Angola in what could represent an expansion of the range of Nigerian pirates engaged in product oil theft, African security news site DefenceWeb reports.
The MT Kerala, owned by Dynacom Tankers, was reported missing after ceasing communications last week and was last sited near the Angolan capital of Luanda.
A tug identified as a suspicious vessel was seen nearby.
"If substantiated, this latest incident demonstrates a significant extension of the reach of criminal groups and represents a threat to shipping in areas that were thought to be safe," said Ian Millen, director of intelligence for Dryad Maritime.
Pirates have stolen cargo or robbed vessels in West Africa, starting in Nigeria and moving into Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, and Gabon, generally forcing vessels to navigate to a location where its cargo is siphoned off to a smaller vessel.
"The criminal gangs that conduct this particular brand of intelligence-led maritime crime are well-prepared, well-armed and have specialist maritime knowledge and expertise," Millen said.
"Operations are primarily targeted at ships in offshore anchorages, sometimes during ship-to-ship cargo transfer ops (STS) with attacks mainly conducted under cover of darkness."
ICC Commercial Crime Services' map of reported pirate activity around the world shows three cases of piracy in West Africa so far this month.
