A Greek-owned products tanker is feared to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea, off the West coast of Africa.
The government of Georgia says that 17 of its citizens are missing after radio contact was lost with the 10,726-dwt Pantelena (built 2006).
It was reportedly last heard from on 14 August 2018 while en route to Gabon’s coastal capital of Libreville, according to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with the Marine Transport Agency of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development are working with the shipping company to determine the situation,” the ministry said.
Unconfirmed reports say that they are also working with regional naval authorities and the United Kingdom Maritime Center (UKMTO).
The Panamanian-flagged tanker is listed among the fleet of Greece’s Lotus Shipping, according to its website. There has been no word from the shipowner.
The Gulf of Guinea and the wider region have become a notorious hotspot of piracy and ship hijackings in recent years.
A recent report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) showed that all 2018 crew kidnappings have so far occurred in the Gulf of Guinea.
The number of crew kidnappings globally decreased from 41 by the second quarter in 2017 to 25 so far in 2018.
However, all of these have occurred over six incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, highlighting the higher risks in this area.
The true number of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea is believed to be “significantly higher” than what is reported to the IMB, said the report.
