Shipowners have been warned of a potential attack by a pirate gang known to have kidnapped crew members from a Greek tanker off West Africa earlier this year.
Security consultancy Dryad Global cited a single unnamed but "credible" source as indicating a raid may occur in a region including the waters around Togo and Benin, the wider Nigerian exclusive economic zone and the joint development zone between Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe.
"This area is assessed as critical risk, with an attack highly likely, while the risk in waters surrounding this area remains substantial," Dryad said.
The consultancy added the source said a group may be planning an attack, deep offshore, positioning a speedboat at up to 370 km off Bayelsa in Nigeria.
The group is thought to be the one that kidnapped as many as 10 crew from the 6,200-dwt Greek bunker tanker Vemahope (built 2009) off Nigeria in April. This incident occurred 193 km west of Agbami.
Be alert
"This alert remains single (credible) source and unconfirmed. Vessels transiting the area are encouraged to observe normal recommended precautions and enhanced vigilance," Dryad said.
Early in September, owners were put on "maximum alert" after a warning of a new piracy threat from Nigeria.
The piracy reporting body Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade — Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) said it had received information from military sources that an armed group from Rivers State was planning an attack against vessels in Zone D, particularly off Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Four days later two Russian seafarers were abducted from a Dutch reefer off Nigeria.
Seatrade's 400,884-cbf Water Phoenix (built 2002) was attacked 61 km south west of Lagos.
