WEST AFRICAN pirates, in a Somali-style attack common to east Africa, have hijacked an Italian tanker off Benin, the second tanker to be captured in the area in a matter of weeks.
West African piracy has been small scale, hit and run robberies and seldom if ever resulting in ship seizures for ransom as is common off east Africa.
In the latest incident, reported by Tanker Operator, pirates boarded the 40,000-ton tanker Bottiglieri in the Gulf of Guinea, officials in Benin and Italy confirmed.
Two of the 23 crew are Italians, the others are Filipino plus a Romanian, who was the vessel's master. Benin's navy said it was following the hijacked ship while Italy's foreign ministry liased with the Bottiglieri.
According to Italian sources, three pirates managed to board the ship 23 miles south of Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin. Italy stepped up its measures against piracy earlier this month by allowing vessels sailing through dangerous waters to use private security guards or soldiers for protection.
The Italian shipowners' association, Confitarma, has called for ships to carry armed guards after several attacks on Italian controlled vessels by Somali pirates.
A week earlier, armed gunmen seized the Greek 11,500-ton tanker Aegean Star off the coast of Benin, only to release the vessel and its crew two days later.
The Gulf of Guinea has become increasingly important for its potential energy reserves which have attracted international interests, according to the BBC.
For example, the US hopes to import about a quarter of its oil supplies from the region by 2015. West African coast guards have been receiving US training to combat growing maritime insecurity.
Source : HKSG, 01.08.11.
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