Another vessel boarded by pirates in Gulf of Guinea

Another vessel boarded by pirates in Gulf of Guinea

By admin  On April 12, 2023 In Cargo, Insurance Marine News, Keep, Marine Hull, Marine Liability, Political Risk, Credit & Finance 

Marine Insurance News 17 April 2023

There were fears yesterday that pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea could have entered a new phase after it was reported that a products tanker, tentatively identified as the Success 9 (IMO 9258131), had been boarded in the area, less than three weeks after the March 25^th hijacking of products tanker Monjasa Reformer (IMO 9255878) and a subsequent kidnapping of some of its crew (IMN March 29^th, March 30^th). French Navy patrol vessel Premier Maître L’Her located the Monjasa Reformer with an aerial drone on Thursday March 30^th (IMN, April 3^rd), but the hijackers had fled, with six of the crew.

The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) information centre reported that the latest incident occurred on Monday April 10^th about 300nm south-southwest of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Security consultants Praesidium issued a piracy attack security incident report, stating that the boarding was believed to have happened around 14:00 UTC on April 10^th. Praesidium identified the vessel as the Singapore-flagged chemical/oil products tanker Success 9.

Praesidium analyzed available data and reported that the Success 9 slowed at around 06:00 UTC. By 14:25 the vessel appeared to be drifting, at which time all AIS transmission was lost.

Praesidium believed that the Success 9 had been operating in the region for some time, probably as a bunker vessel. The attack is not being linked to those who hi-jacked the Monjasa Reformer, but it was noted that there were similarities to recent attacks on another product tanker, the 3,978 gt, Marshall Islands-flagged, 2009-built B. Ocean (IMO 9377834), operated by South Korea-based SK Shipping Co Ltd KRS. The B.Ocean was attacked in January and November 2022. Each time the pirates stole oil and damaged the ship’s equipment before leaving, but did not kidnap any crew for later ransom. The Italian Navy reported assisting the vessel after it was boarded in November 2022. In these incidents the crew was unharmed but the cargo was stolen via an STS operation.

As was the case with the Monjasa Reformer, this attack has taken place a long way offshore. The Monjasa Reformer was attacked on March 25^th by armed pirates 140nm west of the Republic of Congo’s Port Pointe-Noire. However, its subsequent movements were unusual, It was eventually located 90nm south of Bonny, Nigeria, with six crew members missing. That appeared to indicate that the aim had been to get the vessel close to Nigeria, from where the pirates could take kidnapped crew up-river, a precursor to a ransom demand. If the usual process was being followed, negotiations would currently be underway, with a release being achieved around eight weeks after the initial demand.

Last year the Gulf of Guinea saw a significant reduction in the number of piracy incidents and crew kidnappings, with 19 reported incidents in 2022, down from 35 the year before, according to the IMB. That was thought to be a result of increased cooperation between Gulf of Guinea states, plus the increase in the number of international navy patrol vessels – one of which detected the Monjasa Reformer.

MDAT-GoG is a co-operation centre between the Royal Navy (UKMTO) and the French Navy (MICA-Centre). It aims to improve maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea through the sharing of information and the coordination of responses to maritime incidents.

Although the attack on April 10^th was thought to be in a similar position to where another tanker was boarded at the beginning of 2023, it was a long distance from where the Monjasa Reformer was attacked – leading to speculation that there are now at least two pirate teams back at work, each specializing in attacks a long way from shore, but with a different ultimate object.

It looks likely that one of the teams is more interested in kidnapping and the other is more interested in the cargo. If the criminal system had developed so that a single criminal operation was dealing in both kidnapping and cargo, that would be a worrying extension of the West African hijacking business model.

2003-built, Liberia-flagged, 8,829 gt Monjasa Reformer is owned by Monjasa Chartering III DMC, care of Monjasa DMCC of Dubai, UAE. As of April 11^th the vessel was at Lomé anchorage, Togo, having arrived on April 7^th. It left Douala, Cameroon, on March 14^th.

2003-built, Singapore-flagged, 4,374 gt Success 9 is owned by HS Ocean Pte Ltd care of Fortune Ship Management Pte Ltd of Singapore. It is entered with Shipowners’ Club on behalf of Fortune Ship management Pte Ltd. It left Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on March 22^nd. No AIS report since then.