A short period of calm seas in the Gulf of Guinea was interrupted as a group of pirates attempted to board a heavily loaded tanker while it was underway off the coast of Togo.
Pirates aboard a mother vessel with two skiffs chased the tanker for some 20 minutes, according to the Maritime Trade and Information Sharing Centre for the Gulf of Guinea (MTISC-GoG).
The MTISC-GOG said that the crew aboard the tanker conducted evasive manoeuvres at maximum speed, and used water jet and fog horn, after which the pirates gave up their chase.
All crew members were reported safe.
The latest attack comes only a month after a string of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, as pirates attempted to board tanker vessels in the area.
On May 5 and 7, speedboats carrying armed pirates chased and fired upon two separate tankers which were underway.
The attacks was aborted due to presence of navy personnel that were onboard the ships and the implementation of anti-piracy measures.
The crews aboard the tankers were reported to be safe and unharmed.
World Maritime News Staff