Kidnapping 28nm SW Brass, Nigeria
Yet Another Act of Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Cameroonian-flagged, M/V Stevia, a general cargo vessel, was boarded at 0745 UTC and eight crew members were kidnapped, reports Dryad Global. The incident follows several other acts of piracy in the troubled Gulf of Guinea region in recent months.
The Stevia was en route from Port Harcourt to Abidjan when it was boarded by an unknown number of attackers. Ships in the area have been particularly vulnerable at night, with many boarded from fast skiffs and security analysts predict that the attacks are likely to continue.
The IMB advises ships to stand well out to sea and to implement full ‘hardening’ and alert levels. This is the 9th incident in the Gulf since the beginning of December and the 27th kidnapping in 2020, and in total 138 people have been abducted in the region this year.
