Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has once again reared its head, with six crew members having been kidnapped following an attack on a container ship off the coast of Bioko Island.
This brings the total number of kidnapping incidents in 2021 to 10 and the number of kidnapped crew to 76, according to maritime security intelligence company Dryad Global.
Despite every effort by the Danish frigate Esbern Snare, which has been deployed to boost maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, the pirates could not be apprehended.
Recounting the event, the Danish Navy explained that after receiving a call yesterday about the piracy incident, the frigate immediately set off in the direction of the reported attack, trying, without success, to make contact with civilian ships in the area.
After three hours of sailing, the vessel’s Seahawk helicopter was dispatched, and as it approached the vessel, spotted the pirates with their hostages onboard a skiff, throwing objects overboard in order to sail faster.
And that’s where the pursuit ended. The helicopter pursued the skiff until it entered Nigeria’s national waters before returning to the frigate.
At this stage it was established that there were still several crew members on board the container ship, one of whom had been injured by gunshot wounds to the lower leg. A boarding team administered first aid and the mariner is said to be stable. Two crew members are still missing.
The name of the container ship has not been revealed in any reports so far.
In October, The ICC International Maritime Bureau reported the lowest number of reported piracy and armed robbery incidents for the first nine months of any year since 1994.
