A ship carrying 22 Indian crew and 13,500 tonnes of petrol is missing in the Gulf of Guinea after contact was lost in Benin on Friday, the company and India’s minister of external affairs said on Sunday….
A ship carrying 22 Indian crew and 13,500 tonnes of petrol is missing in the Gulf of Guinea after contact was lost in Benin on Friday, the company and India’s minister of external affairs said on Sunday.
The Gulf of Guinea has become an increasing target for pirates who steal cargo and demand ransoms, even as piracy incidents fall worldwide, experts say.
The Marine Express tanker, managed by Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern, was last see in Benin’s waters on Friday after which contact was lost, an Anglo Eastern spokesman told Reuters.
The cause of the loss of communication was unknown and a search was underway, conducted with help from Nigerian and Beninese authorities, Anglo-Eastern said.
“We regret that contact has been lost with the vessel, which was the Cotonou Anchorage in Benin, West Africa,” the spokesman said.
