A general cargoship has been attacked by pirates off Nigeria, prompting crew to retreat to the citadel.
The incident occurred on Wednesday 136 nautical miles (252 km) south-west of Bayelsa state, outside the South Nigerian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre said Nigerian navy forces had been informed and were responding.
Security consultancy Dryad Global said the vessel is believed to be the 17,400-dwt Cypriot-flagged ESL Australia (built 2007).
Polish operator Euroafrica Line has been contacted for further information.
The last AIS update from the vessel is from 12 May, showing it underway off Guinea-Bissau.
Fifth incident in area this year
Dryad said this is the fifth such incident to occur within 100 nautical miles of the southern fringe of the Nigerian EEZ this year.
In 2019, there were four attacks within 50 nautical miles of the current location.
"Incident analysis shows an increase in reporting in this area across a three-year period which is [in] contrast with a wider declining trend of overall incidents over the same period," Dryad added.
Meanwhile, the Western Naval Command (WNC) of the Nigerian navy has arrested 10 Nigerian pirates who hijacked a Chinese fishing vessel off the coast of Cote d'Ivoire.
Officers rescued 18 crew members — eight Chinese, three Ghanaians and seven Ivorians, who were all unharmed.
Lagos newspaper This Day reported that the Hailufang II was boarded on 15 May and taken to Nigerian waters.
The upcoming prosecution will be the first of pirates arrested in international waters under the new Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, which was signed into law in June 2019 by president Muhammadu Buhari.
The law made Nigeria the first country in West and Central Africa to have specific anti-piracy legislation.
