Pirates Kill Two Off Coast of Nigeria

February 14, 2012 | By More

A cargo vessel captain and chief engineer were killed while their ship was being assaulted by pirates on Monday, according to AFP. Numerous shots fired resulted in the pair dying off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria.

Here are some additional facts regarding the recent spate of piracy incidents in West Africa.

* The International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Services website has a live piracy report provided by the IMB Piracy Reporting Center that shows the incident occurred 110 nautical miles south of Lagos in the Gulf of Guinea. While the crew got to safety, the bridge team continued to sail, resulting in the two deaths.

* Nigerian authorities were alerted by the IMB and have tried to catch the pirates and rescue the crew. The identities of the slain crew members have not been released. The vessel’s identity and its port of origin were still unknown Monday.

* On Saturday, a separate live piracy report noted 74 nautical miles south of the Lagos fairway buoy, a ship was fired upon. Two boats approached a general cargo vessel from astern. The cargo boat raised the alarm and crew were mustered into a safe area. A 25-minute chase resulted in the ship escaping and all crew deemed safe, though the ship had suffered damage from being shot at.

* Fox News reports that on Thursday a tanker was hijacked on coastal waters off of Cotonou, the capital of nearby Benin.

* Nigeria‘s navy and maritime safety agency have not provided comment to media sources yet regarding the attacks of the nation’s largest port.

* The Journal of Commerce reports the IMB has suggested that following the incident ships should avoid Nigerian waters. They report that periods of captivity are

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