The vessel was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea in vicinity 04 00N 002 05E, 130 nm SE of Lome Togo, at 0800 UTC Dec 15. The ship wasn’t identified, but according to available information, it’s tanker DUKE, en route from Luanda to Lome. Reportedly only one crew avoided pirates, the rest were kidnapped.
Product tanker DUKE, IMO 9262259, dwt 19117, built 2003, flag Marshall Islands, manager V SHIPS.
V.Ships Ship Management (India) PvT Ltd., managers of the oil/chemical product tanker “Duke” report that contact was lost with the vessel in the early hours of this morning (15/12) local time. The Marshal Island’s flag vessel was some 110 miles SE of Lomé, Togo, where she was heading for discharge a cargo of fuel oil loaded at Luanda.
It is understood from the IMB piracy reporting center and MDAT-GOG that there was a pirate attack between 0700 hrs- 0800 hrs local time involving the kidnap of the crew leaving one Nigerian cadet on-board. It has yet to be confirmed that this attack involved the MV Duke which has a crew of 20
Indian nationals on board and one Nigerian national
.Owners and Managers of the MV Duke are working closely with the relevant local Authorities and Flag states to try to establish contact with the vessel and crew, their well-being and safety being the prime focus and concern at this time.
Managers are contacting the families of crew members to keep them fully informed of the situation.
