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Pirates board Singapore-flagged tanker off Côte d’IvoirePirates board Singapore-flagged tanker off Côte d’Ivoire

Singapore-flagged chemical tanker Success 9 was boarded by pirates at around 1400 hrs UTC on April 10, according to reports.

Gary Howard, Middle East correspondent

April 11, 2023

1 Min Read
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Italian private security company Praesidium International issued a security update stating that the tanker was reported as boarded by an unknown number of people around 300 nm south of Abidjan, a coastal city in in Côte d’Ivoire.

The incident was noted as ongoing at the time of the security update.

The vessel is a regular to the area, mostly likely involved in bunkering operations, and could be the target of an attempted oil theft.

“Success 9 was proceeding NW, likely repositioning herself, when her speed started dropping at around 0600 UTC. She then started drifting and was heading NW when at 1425 the AIS transmission was lost, possibly indicating the time the perpetrators took control of the vessel,” said the Praesidium update.

The report speculated that Nigerian pirate activity groups (PAG) may have pushed to targeted intel-based offshore operations after encountering difficulties on land over the past year.

About the Author

Gary Howard

Middle East correspondent

Gary Howard is the Middle East Correspondent for Seatrade Maritime News and has written for Seatrade Cruise, Seatrade Maritime Review and was News Editor at Lloyd’s List. Gary’s maritime career started after catching the shipping bug during a research assignment for the offshore industry. Working out of Seatrade's head office in the UK, he also produces and contributes to conference programmes for Seatrade events including CMA Shipping, Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East and Marintec. 

Gary’s favourite topics within the maritime industry are decarbonisation and wind-assisted propulsion; he particularly enjoys reporting from industry events.

Conferences & Webinars

Gary Howard regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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