Tanker crew safe after unsuccessful pirate attack off Benin

Maritime security consultancy firm Praesidium International reports that a tanker that was sailing through the Gulf of Guinea off Benin was boarded by pirates on Saturday, November 7.

The incident on the Singaporean-flagged Torm Alexandra occurred at 06:43 UTC on Saturday when it was boarded by an unknown number of perpetrators approximately 173 nautical miles south of Cotonou.

The crew, which included both Filipino and Montenegrin nationals, were able to seek refuge in the ship’s citadel shortly after the unauthorised boarding took place.

Torm Alexandra had sailed out of Lome in Togo on November 6 and was on a south-westerly heading just prior to the attack.

Praesidium adds that, due to the unsuccessful attempt to seize the tanker, the same pirates that had boarded Torm Alexandra will likely remain in the general area and be on the lookout for other potential targets.