Pirates board two ships, kidnap seafarers in Gulf of Guinea

Two recent pirate attacks that culminated in the abduction of seafarers have been recorded in the Gulf of Guinea. It seems that all of these events may be linked.

The cargo vessel Rio Mitong was intercepted by a single speedboat with an undisclosed number of perpetrators in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Dryad Global and Praesidium International, said in different statements.

The perpetrators used the ladder to climb the Comoros-flagged multipurpose ship and proceeded to abduct two crew members of the vessel, one Russian and one Ukrainian. The kidnappers fled the region and went to Cameroon. The remaining crew members are deemed to be healthy.

The 8,900 dwt Rio Mitong is operated by Panama-based Glomar Supplies, VesselsValue’s data shows. The 122.4-metre-long MPP had arrived in Malabo from Abidjan last year in support of the Ounta Europa LNG project and since then remain within the anchorage area, occasionally reaching the berth.

Based on available records, this would be the first piracy incident with successful kidnap ever recorded in the Malabo anchorage area, according to Praesidium International.

Another vessel was attacked within the Luba anchorage on the same night. The ship in question is research/survey vessel Djibloho, managed by Equatorial Guinea Marina Malabo.

The Equatorial Guinea-flagged vessel Djibloho was boarded by a group of unknown men. Unconfirmed reports indicate that two Russian personnel may have been abducted as a result.

Local authorities have launched investigations into both incidents. As per available information, it appears that the Luba and Malabo incidents could be connected and originate from matters that have little to share with Gulf of Guinea piracy. As per Malabo, Luba port has seen no piracy activity over the years, Praesidium International said.

Deeper analysis indicates that at least one of the two boats has connections to Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Stefanov, and several potential lighter relations have even arisen between the two warships, which may possibly mean that there is more to it than just a pirate attack.

If this latest incident is reported, the cumulative number of individuals kidnapped in maritime crime incidents around the area will be 52, Dryad Global stated.

While the rate of incidents in West Africa is showing a steady decrease, there is an upward rate in the seriousness of incidents, especially those including ransom abduction.