Pirates hijack tanker off Benin

YEREL HABERLER The 'Rbd Anema e Core' has 23 crewmembers on board and is transporting a cargo of fuel. It is still believed to be under the control of a number of pirates and the status of the crew is not known.

Piracy has been on the increase in the area over recent months. The Gulf of Guinea region saw a 1.5% rise in pirate activity over the course of June and a 30% year-on-year increase from June 2010.

More specifically off the coast of Benin, the International Maritime Bureau issued a warning in June that piracy was becoming more of a concern in the area.

It would appear that local groups have been inspired by pirate activity in the Niger Delta and further afield. While hijackings off west Africa are far less frequent than in areas affected by Somali pirates off east Africa, vessel operators are nonetheless still advised to exercise caution in the Gulf of Guinea region, particularly in waters south of Cotonou. Strict watch rotas should be in place and crew members should be ready to enact evasive manoeuvres in the event that suspicious vessels are spotted.

A week earlier, armed gunmen seized the Greek tanker ?Aegean Star? off the coast of Benin, only to release the vessel and its crew two days later.

The Gulf of Guinea has become increasingly important for its potential energy reserves which have attracted international interests, according to reports appearing on the BBC website.

For example, the US hopes to import about a quarter of its oil supplies from the region by 2015.

West African coast guards have been receiving US training to combat growing maritime insecurity.

Meanwhile, the 17 crew members of the 4,831 dwt Emirati bunker tanker ?Jubba XX? captured by pirates earlier this month off the coast of Somalia have been freed unharmed along with the vessel, the vessel?s manager said Thursday.

?Jubba XX? was captured on 16th July while sailing from Umm al-Quwain in the UAE to Berbera in the breakaway northern Somali province of Somaliland.

Omar al-Khair, general manager of Emirates International Shipping, the ship?s manager, told The Associated Press the tanker was freed late Wednesday following negotiations involving Somali tribal elders and government officials in Puntland.

No ransom was paid, though pirates did steal money, clothes and other belongings from the crew, al-Khair said.