Pirates raid chemical tanker off Togo

Pirates looted a chemical tanker and injured some of its crew off the coast of Togo this week, its government and a maritime agency said on Thursday.

Pirates raid chemical tanker off Togo, injure crew

(Reuters) – Pirates looted a chemical tanker and injured some of its crew off the coast of Togo this week, its government and a maritime agency said on Thursday, underscoring increasing threats to shipping in West African waters.

Pirate activity has spiked in the Gulf of Guinea region, which includes Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast and is a significant source of oil, cocoa and metals for world markets. But unlike along the Horn of Africa, international navies are not actively engaged in counter-piracy missions off West Africa.

Gunmen in speedboats boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged MT Ocean Centurion tanker on Tuesday, around 45 nautical miles southeast of Togo’s coastal capital Lome, and grabbed money and possessions of the ship and its crew, a security source said.

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Source: Reuters.