A Singapore-registered oil tanker has been boarded by “unidentified persons” about 300 nautical miles (555km) off Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, the city-state’s port authority said. The tanker Success 9 had 20 crew members of various nationalities on board including one Singaporean. In a statement the MPA said it was working closely with the ship owner, Monrovian maritime rescue officials and the city-state’s Changi command and control centre to monitor the situation and provide assistance. The Gulf of Guinea was long known as a hotspot for global piracy, with insurance firm Beazley offering the “Gulf of Guinea Piracy Plus”, a bespoke insurance plan for maritime crew travelling through the area. The maritime zone covers 11,000sq km (4,247sq miles) and stretches from Angola to Senegal.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA