Posted on 11/03/2019 12:07:40 AM PDT by robowombat
Freighter attacked in Gulf of Guinea, 9 crew kidnapped
Mikhail Voytenko News November 2, 2019 12:15 pm
Cargo ship was attacked early in the morning Nov 2 at Cotonou Anchorage, Benin Gulf of Guinea. 9 crew were reportedly, kidnapped. Ship’s name though identified, can’t yet be revealed, until information is confirmed.
German shipowner MC-Schiffahrt reports that the freigher MarMalaita was attacked by pirates off Cameroon on the night of August 14. Eight members of her 12-man crew have been kidnapped.
At about 2300-2400 hours Wednesday, the vessel was anchored at Douala when pirates boarded the ship and kidnapped the eight victims. MC-Schiffahrt says that it has assembled an emergency response team and is making every effort to resolve the case in cooperation with government authorities and the vessel’s crew managers.
“Our thoughts reach out to the concerned families, and we will take all efforts to support and assist them until their seafarers safely return back home,” the company said.
According to Russia’s Foreign Ministry, three of the abducted crewmembers are Russian nationals.
The MarMalaita is a multipurpose freighter deployed on the UAL liner service between Houston and West Africa. The service primarily provides transportation for the West African oil and gas industry, and it offers two or three direct sailings per month departing Texas.
As of Monday, the MarMalaita was moored alongside a pier in Douala.
The Gulf of Guinea consistently ranks as the world’s riskiest region for maritime piracy. The waters directly off the Niger River Delta are the most notorious area for attacks, but incidents further afield - as far away as Benin, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea - have been reported as well. The most serious incidents involve kidnapping for ransom rather than oil theft or property theft.
Woops, that is the last one taken... August.
Going to be something similar tho. Small ship.
Russian nationals kidnapped ...
that means the pirates will get to deal with the Spetznaz soon
then the fun starts
The only good saracen is a dead one.
The German and Russian governments need to make sure that there are a lot of dead pirates before this is over. This has been happening weekly, and paying the pirates off is not discouraging piracy. Kill them all. No exceptions.
Why don’t these ships carry armed security?
Many countries ban armed ships in their ports. My vote would be don't go to those ports, but shipping companies comply. Ships with armed security offload their security just before pulling into port (or sometimes after passing the danger zones), and some ship owners prefer to gamble rather than pay for security.
Not too wise to kidnap Russians.
“The German and Russian governments need to make sure that there are a lot of dead pirates before this is over.”
The German government will give the kidnappers and their families ASYLUM in Germany (or Sweden), since they face being thrown in prison if they’re returned home. The Russian government will assure that they no longer have families to return to.
The notion that these ships can’t have armed guards is pure crap!
The notion that these ships can’t have armed guards is pure crap!
It costs too much and is ineffective.
It only takes one watchman to alert the crew. Doesn’t seem that cost prohibitive to me.
The pirates can overcome the weak defense you propose
This is West Africa, the Atlantic, not the Persian Gulf or Indian Ocean. New area of interest I guess. Not necessarily muslim pirates.
Lots and lots of cut your head off Muslims in that area. I would not bet against it being Mudslimes.
I've always contended that a ship that had been attacked by pirates, would arrive in port with a few of 'em swinging from the cranes, would do wonders.
Of course there would be "world-wide outrage" but the point would have been made.
It takes a village to raise a Pirate fleet,
razing that village cures the problem.
MOAB
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