EMEA News
MGO Tanker Released After Gulf of Guinea Hijacking
The product tanker Hai Soon 6, which was hijacked on July 25 in the Gulf of Guinea, has been released with the crew unharmed but some of the cargo stolen, Tradewinds reports.
The Kiribati-flagged 5,500 deadweight tonne (dwt) vessel, operated by Hai Soon Ship Management of Singapore, was reported seized by pirates while in the midst of bunkering operations.
Pirate attacks in the region commonly focus on product tankers, which are targeted for petroleum product cargos that can be transferred to a phantom tanker and later sold.
The Hai Soon 6 was reportedly attacked by 10 heavily armed pirates, and Glen Forbes of OCEANUSLive said the fact that the hijacking occurred during a bunkering operation suggested they were knowledgeable about shipping operations.
