"Reporting indicates that the Oil/Chemical tanker M/T PTI Nile (IMO: 9747338) has been boarded approximately 115 Nm [nautical miles] South of Lomé [the capital of Togo]. Reports state that the crew all managed to retreat into the citadel and are all accounted for", the company said in a statement.
The company also said that the vessel remained stationary in the place where the alleged incident took place.
"Whilst precise details regarding the nature of the attack and the welfare of the crew remain unclear, this incident is the second incident within 24hrs within the wider Gulf of Guinea area following a month’s hiatus of serious offshore incidents", the statement added.
The company refers to Saturday's incident when liquid natural gas tanker Methane Princess was attacked in the Gulf shortly after completing loading operations off Equatorial Guinea's port city of Malabo. One crew member was taken hostage.
The Gulf of Guinea is Africa's most economically active and oil-rich region. Pirate activity in the region has increased in recent years, prompting Nigeria, Ghana and other surrounding regions to set up a naval coordination operation to combat the phenomenon.
