Tanker Attacked by Pirates off Ivory Coast

A petroleum products tanker was attacked by pirates Wednesday near the port of Abidjan off the Ivory Coast, just a day after two failed pirate attacks in the waters off Nigeria’s southeastern coast.

Twelve pirates armed with guns boarded the drifting tanker, taking all crewmembers hostage and escaping with all of the ship’s cash and money and personal effects of the crew, according to a statement from the International Maritime Bureau. They also destroyed the ship’s navigational equipment. No crewmembers were injured, and the ship was otherwise undamaged.

The Gulf of Guinea has become yet another hotspot of pirate activity, with attacks almost doubling from last year. This means increased costs for shipping companies, in addition to the increased dangers faced by the crews of the ships transporting oil, cocoa and metals from the West African region to the world’s markets.

The maritime piracy attorneys at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent crewmembers of vessels involved in pirate attacks.