Oil Tanker Disappears After ‘Unidentified People’ Boarded Near Ivory Coast
The Singapore-registered vessel Success 9 has gone missing after it was boarded by pirates off the coast of Africa earlier this week.
Owners of the tanker have not been able to contact it since Monday night near Ivory Coast, as confirmed in a statement from the Singapore government. Gen. Boniface Konan of the maritime security centre Cresmao is treating this as an act of piracy.
The ship built two decades ago, is capable of carrying around 40,000 barrels of oil and chemical products and had a crew consisting of individuals from various nations on board when it was invaded.
According to Bloomberg tanker tracker information, the vessel was spotted near Ivory Coast just last Tuesday. Nevertheless, attacks on ships have fallen to an all-time low in the first quarter of 2021, with just 27 recorded incidents, one hijacking and two attempts being successful.
Reference: CNA, Bloomberg
