A Singaporean oil tanker was attacked by pirates on Monday April 10 in the Gulf of Guinea, about 600 km south of Abidjan. After a few days of searching at sea, the boat was found on Saturday April 15 and was secured at the port of Abidjan by Ivorian sailors.
With our correspondent in Abidjan, Marine Jeannin
Five days elapsed between the attack on the tanker Success 9, registered in Singapore, and its safe arrival at the port of Abidjan. The Ivorian and Singaporean authorities both announced in a press release this weekend that the entire crew, twenty people of various nationalities, are safe and sound and in good health.
The attack took place on Monday April 10 off the Gulf of Guinea, in international waters, 600 km south of Abidjan. A commercial vessel was able to pick up the distress call from the Success 9 and alert the Ivorian Navy. The search was then coordinated between an Ivorian patrol boat, a French navy aircraft, several multinational agencies and maritime administrations. Until the Ivorian navy managed to find and secure the tanker, brought back to Abidjan on April 15.
The Ivorian authorities welcomed the collaboration between the two national navies, without providing additional details on the course of the attack or on what happened to the pirates.
The Gulf of Guinea, an essential delivery route from Senegal to Angola, has long been targeted by acts of piracy. But according to carriers, it wasn’t until 2021 that pirates started venturing out to international waters.
► See also Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea: another security front