10 Rescued from Hijacked Tanker, 2 Remain Captive

Interpol Ten Indian crew members were rescued with the assistance of the Nigerian Navy after their vessel was hijacked by pirates on February 13 off Ivory Coast, Africa. According to the Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the vessel, which was identified as the product tanker Maximus, was carrying 12 crew member, 11 of Indian nationality and one Pakistani national. The minister added that on Indias request, the naval units from Ghana and Nigeria followed the hijacked vessel. The authorities are currently trying to secure the release of the remaining two crew members. The AIS data corresponds to the 2007-built product tanker, which was sailing from Lome when the incident occurred. On February 11, the Maritime Trade Information Share Centre Gulf of Guinea (MTISCGOG) reported that a vessel was attacked by six armed pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, off Abijan, Ivory Coast. The centre did not disclose the name of the vessel in question, but said that five crew members were taken by the pirates while the rest of the crew were in the safe room aboard the tanker. World Maritime News requested details on the hijacking, but never received a reply. World Maritime News Staff