Pirates kidnap 24 crew from UK-listed ship

Pirates have attacked an oil tanker off Togo, taking control of its bridge and kidnapping 24 Russian sailors before escaping amid an exchange of gunfire with a naval patrol boat.

Greece’s merchant marine ministry said yesterday that the ship, registered in the Isle of Man to Energy Centurion, is operated by a Greek firm called Golden Energy Management and was crewed by Russians.

Yesterday’s attack is just the latest on West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea. Over the past year, piracy there has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts. Last year, Lloyd’s Market Association listed Nigeria, Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category as Somalia, where two decades of war have allowed piracy to flourish.

West Africa’s mostly Nigerian pirates are more violent than Somalia’s, as they usually target cargo, not crew for ransom.