A Liberian reefer vessel has been reportedly attacked by unidentified pirates off Lagos Coast, today.
The ship, identified as Water Phoenix, was said to have been approached and boarded by an unknown number of persons some 31 nautical miles south-southwest of Lagos on September 8, Dryad Global said referring to sources.
The attack may have resulted in the kidnapping of personnel. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact number of missing persons.
“AIS tracking indicates that the vessel was enroute to Lagos at 14 knots and undertook evasive manoeuvres before coming to a stop and is currently drifting. It is reported that some of the crew have retreated to the citadel,” according to Dryad.
“At this stage unconfirmed reporting indicates thatsome crew may be uncounted for.”
The attack is the third offshore incident in the waters south of Lagos so far this year. It is also the 13th reported incident in waters of the Lagos Port Complex and anchorage in the past 12 months most of which have manifest as boarding for theft.
It remains unclear whether the perpetrators are still on board the distressed vessel. Built in Japan in 1992, the 8,100 dwt Water Phoenix is owned by Germany-based Triton Schiffahrs, data provided by VesselsValue shows. The ship is part of Belgium’s GreenSea pool
