Greek manager Smart Tankers has said planning is vital to resisting "the very real threat" of piracy off West Africa.
The company confirmed that its 16,700-dwt product tanker Errina (built 2019) was attacked by armed men in the Gulf of Guinea 300 nautical miles (555 km) south of Lagos on the morning of 22 October.
Maritime security companies and the flag state of Panama believed at first that there may have been a mistake in the reporting of the tanker's position when the alarm was raised.
Panama had tracked the ship 130 nautical miles south of Lagos when the attack occurred.
At the time, there was a crew of 27 on board and the vessel was in ballast bound for Lagos, Smart said.
"Following the prompt and professional response by the master and crew on board, ... the matter was resolved with all crew being reported safe and unharmed," the Greek manager added.
The company thanked piracy reporting bodies Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade — Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) and the International Maritime Bureau, as well as the Italian and Nigerian navies, for "their efforts, cooperation and guidance" in safeguarding the lives of its seafarers.
Smart spokesman Athanassios Papayannopoulos said: "Piracy remains a very real threat to shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, but it is a testament to their planning and training that the crew were able to stop the pirates from making this situation worse."
Contact with the ship was lost by the owner two days after the vessel left the Limboh terminal in Cameroon on 20 October.
The handysize had reported a suspicious approach and triggered its ship security alert system.
The incident was reported as a possible kidnapping and hijack.
Two security escort vessels responded and moved alongside.
Persistent and elevated risk
Security consultancy Dryad Global said reporting indicated the vessel was boarded but all personnel had managed to retreat to the vessel's citadel.
"All vessels are reminded that there remains a persistent and elevated risk within this area and are encouraged to maintain increased vigilance and employ enhanced mitigation at this time," Dryad added.
The vessel has an established trading pattern between Lome in Togo, Lagos in Nigeria and the wider Niger Delta region.
