Pirates have struck far offshore West Africa for the second time this month taking 20 seafarers hostage the tanker Duke off Togo.

Nineteen seafarers are reported to have been kidnapped from the VLCC Nave Constellation 100 nm south of Bonny Island, Nigeria.

Pirates have hit a second vessel within days in West Africa kidnapping four seafarers from the Greek tanker Elka Aristotle off Lome, Togo.

Nine seafarers from a JJ Ugland bulker have been taken hostage by pirates off Benin.

Three incidences of piracy have been reported in close proximity to each other in the Singapore Strait within a period of 20 days up until 19 October, according to a latest update by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

Pirates have kidnapped 17 crew members from two ships - one German and one Greek owned - at Douala anchorage off Cameron.

A total of 28 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia were reported in the first half of this year, marking the lowest number in 13 years since the first half of 2007, according to data by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC...

The Korean bulk carrier CK Bluebell was hit by pirates about 100 miles from the entrance to the Singapore Strait early on Monday morning.

Ten seafarers were kidnapped by pirates from a Turkish cargoship in the Gulf of Guinea on Tuesday morning.

The Royal Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis) heavy transport vessel Blue Marlin and its crew have been safely freed after a hijack on Sunday approximately 80 nm offshore Equatorial Guinea.