Camera footage has shown pirates in the act of raiding an Italian offshore vessel for the second time in six months off Mexico.
Local media reported the 2,700-dwt platform supply vessel Remas (built 2011) had been boarded on the night of 12 April, 130 km off the port of Dos Bocas.
The gunmen fired at the bridge, injuring two crew members, before stealing welding equipment, helmets and diving tanks, according to the El Heraldo de Tabasco website.
Footage from the master posted on Youtube by Romanian news site Observatorul Prahovean shows officers watching the attack on a computer screen.
The ship's camera shows three attackers, two of whom are wearing balaclavas, threatening two seafarers with pistols.
A photograph also shows a seafarer holding a spent bullet.
Second confirmed attack
In November, two crew were injured after armed pirates boarded the Micoperi-controlled vessel off Mexico.
The attack involved between seven and eight gunmen who approached using two speedboats in the Gulf of Mexico.
They opened fire on the seafarers and stole items before fleeing.
One crewman was shot in the knee and another struck by a blunt instrument.
There were 35 people on board the vessel at the time, including an officer from the Mexican merchant navy, who then coordinated contact with local authorities.
The two wounded men were taken ashore in Ciudad de Carmen, where the Remas arrived escorted by a Mexican military unit.
Security consultancy Dryad Global said at the time it had no record of attacks in the region.
"Incidents here would be a very unusual occurrence," it told TradeWinds.
It has also been reported the vessel was the subject of an attack in the same area on 4 April, but this has not been confirmed.
Gunmen fired shots at what was reported to be a cable-layer 24 km off Dos Bocas in the early hours.
Piracy reporting body ICC said the ship was near the HSP platform at the time.
Crew members noticed a boat with eight people on board approaching at high speed.
They raised the alarm, locked down the accommodation and mustered.
As the skiff approached from the stern, the assailants started firing at the vessel.
The master used thrusters to prevent the boat from coming alongside and the assailants aborted their approach.
The crew notified the port authority of the incident and a patrol boat was dispatched to the location.
