Greek Tanker Missing, Feared Hijacked Off Ghana

MT Fair Artemis. Image (c) MarineTraffic.com/[email protected]

A Greek oil tanker with 24 crewmembers has lost contact with its owners in the Gulf of Guinea, sparking fears that the ship may have been hijacked by pirates.

According to the ICC’s International Maritime Bureau, the Liberian-flagged Fair Artemis lost contact with its owners on Wednesday while off the coast of Ghana’s capital city of Accra.

The Gulf of Guinea is home to one of the world’s most piracy prone areas, with most incidents occurring along or off the coast of Nigeria where gangs hijack vessels mostly to steal cargo. Pirates however have been known to attack ships off the Ivory Coast to the west and south as far as Angola.

If the hijacking of Fair Artemis proves true, it would be the westernmost incident reported to the IMB this year.

The tanker has 24 crewmembers onboard, according to a statement from the ship’s owners, Fairdeal Group Management S.A., which has been obtained by OceanLive.org.

Source: gCaptain