West Africa Pirate Attack
by Cruising Editor/ITAR-TASS on 22 May 2006
Brown arrow in Africa map indicates Guinea SW
Cruising Sailors near the coast of West Africa should be aware of a pirate attack that took place yesterday. The vessel attacked was the same Russian ship – the Shkotovo - that only a month ago was thanked by the Thai Authorities for rescuing 12 seamen from the Andaman Sea.
Russian Coastguards reported yesterday that six heavily armed pirates robbed the Russian tanker, which is part of the Primorye Sea Shipping Company, in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Guinea, West Africa. At the time the ship was 55 miles off the Guinea port of Conakry.
It is not a highly frequented area by cruising sailors, but piracy in the Arabian Gulf has driven many sailors to take the African alternative and sail from the Maldives south around the Cape of Good Hope to get to Europe.
In the attack a high-speed cutter of six armed pirates reached the tanker and boarded the ship. The captain handed over all the cash on board to safeguard the 20-strong crew.
The tanker captain informed the Vladivostok maritime search and rescue centre at 6:15 p.m. local time.
www.sail-world.com/send_message.cfm!Click_Here!same to write to us about this article
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/24135
