A containership belonging to Mediterranean Shipping Company has been reported to be under attack in the Gulf of Guinea, precisely off Bayelsa, in Nigeria.
Reports suggest that the 1985-built 1,893 teu MSC Lucia has been boarded by an unknown number of armed men.
According to security firm Dryad Global, a warship is on its way to assist the crew, but the company could not give an ETA for the navy vessel, identify it or say to which navy it belonged.
Details on the attack remain patchy, with the vessel south of Nigeria and west of Cameroon, around 86 nautical miles south-west of the Agbami Terminal when it was attacked. It is unclear at this stage whether the crew are safe.
The ship was en route to Lome in Togo, according to VesselsValue data.
As at presstime, the crew are still calling for help.
According to other sources, the Russian Navy tanker Akademik Pashin approached the hijacked vessel. It is next to Lucia, informs portal Maritime Bulletin. Akademik Pashin is included in the Russian naval group located off the coast of West Africa.
However, there is yet to be any confirmation that the Russian Navy tanker will make any military intervention.
Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea also earlier attacked the Curacao Trader tanker with the Russians. They attacked a ship off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea and took 15 crew members hostage. The tanker flew under the flag of Liberia and was owned by Curacao Trader Shipping.
