Pirates Take Hostages off Togo Coast

A Greek oil tanker was attacked by pirates off the coast of Togo last night, resulting in the abduction of four of its crew members.

Both Greek authorities and the Togo Navy confirmed the attack in a statement released this morning.

“Monday, 4th November 2019, around 0300, the tanker boat Elka Aristotle […] was attacked around 18 kilometres (11 miles) from the port of Lome by armed individuals”, the joint statement read.

The vessel had armed guards on board who exchanged fire with the attackers, resulting in one of them suffering injuries, though it is not know the extent of his wounds.

The nationalities of those crew members taken as hostages have been confirmed as two Filipinos, one Greek and one Georgian.

European Product Carriers Ltd, the company that manages the ship, also confirmed the attack, but declined to comment any further, whilst Greece’s shipping ministry said it was “closely monitoring the issue”.

This is the second reported incidence of piracy off the West Coast of Africa in just two days, following the abduction of nine Filipino’s from the Norwegian cargo ship MV-Bonita off the coast of Benin on Saturday.

Despite a recent fall in piracy, the West African coast and particularly the Gulf of Guinea remain high-risks areas for pirate activities, including armed robbery and abductions.