Pirates hijack motor vessel, kidnap 4 crew in Gulf of Guinea

Suspected sea robbers on Sunday hijacked a Motor Vessel (MV AGISILAOS) between Togo and Ghana, kidnapping four of her crew members.

The ship was at 75 nautical miles off the coast of Togo when it was boarded by the pirates on Sunday, November 29, 2020, at about 21.30 UTC.

• Boko Haram ‘slaughters’ 43 rice farmers in Borno
• Zabarmari aftermath: Borno governor wants foreign mercenaries back

Dryad Global, an international maritime surveillance company, in its report revealed said the vessel was understood to have a crew of 23 personnel including Russian, Romanian, and Filipino nationals.

Dryad said the incident occurred in Ghanaian waters, 5nm from the Western edge of the Gulf of Guinea HRA, and 22nm west of Togo TTW.

According to AIS data, the vessel changed direction to the starboard at the time of the incident and dramatically reduced speed, conducting evasive manoeuvres to avoid boarding. The vessel is now reported safe.

It was the 24th confirmed kidnapping incident in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea within 2020 with 122 crew kidnapped from vessels.