Ten crew reportedly kidnapped from a general cargo vessel
Priacy in the Gulf of Guinea region continues to escalate with another 10 crew reportedly kidnapped from a general cargo vessel this week.
Total number of crew kidnapped from vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 is now 128 across 24 incidents.
Maritime safety consultancy Dryad Global reported that St Kitts-flagged general cargo vessel Milan was boarded by pirates near the Pennington Terminal in Nigeria while it was in transit from Escravos to Douala, Cameroon, resulting in the kidnapping of 10 crew.
Crew kidnapped from vessels
The total number of crewC kidnapped from vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 is now 128 across 24 incidents.
“This is the sixth boarding incident within Nigerian territorial waters within 2020. Recent established regional trends have shown an increase in boarding incidents beyond the Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with Nigerian PAG’s seeking to operate beyond the traditional heartland of the Nigerian EEZ,” Dryad Global said.
The incident follows hot on the heals of three crew members being kidnapped from bunkering vessel Stelios K, five crew being kidnapped from general cargo ship Am Delta, and 14 crew taken from heavylift ship Zhen Hua 7.
Marine police mount search for boat accident victims
|In another hand a combined team of marine police from Kenya and Uganda have joined forces to search for Ugandan traders believed to have drowned in Lake Victoria on Friday night.
Ugandan trader
According to preliminary information, the 13 Ugandan traders were sailing on a boat with an unspecified number of bags of maize flour and fish from Sigulu island in Namayingo district for sale in Kenya.
However, the boat capsized between Sumba and Malenga islands in Kenya. Fishermen managed to rescue seven people who were rushed to port Victoria hospital in Kenya for further management. However, six traders are still missing.
Investigation of accident
The Busoga East Police Spokesperson James Mubi told journalists this morning that they are yet to establish the identities of the boat accident victims because the survivors are still in critical condition and can’t speak. He says a team of detectives has been dispatched to investigate the cause of the accident.
Majid Dhikusoka, the Namayingo Deputy Resident District Commissioner blames the accident on the failure by the local communities to comply with safety measures. He says most island communities ignore risks like sailing on overloaded boats, use poor quality boats and don’t use life jackets.
