Pirates Board Product Tanker off Cameroon
February 9, 2021 | On Saturday night, the product tanker Sea Phantom was boarded by pirates about 115 nm off the coast of Cameroon in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to Dryad Global, the tanker was making about 13 knots on an easterly course, then took evasive maneuvers.
Multinational Maritime Coordination Center (MMCC) Zone D notified the Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea navies, and both dispatched response units. The Equatorial Guinea frigate Wele Nzas and Cameroonian patrol boat Dipikar responded, and a helicopter launched from Equatorial Guinea was the first asset to arrive on scene.
At least eight pirates fled when the helicopter arrived. Fortunately, the crew was found uninjured in the tanker’s citadel. The vessel arrived safely at Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on February 7.