Four crew members have been kidnapped from a chemical tanker underway off the coast of Nigeria earlier this month.

 The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre has confirmed the kidnappings, reporting that on March fifth a gaggle of ten armed pirates in a velocity boat approached and opened hearth at a chemical tanker underway roughly 32 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island, Nigeria.

The pirates have been in a position to board the vessel with a grappling hook and ladder, the report stated. An alarm was raised and all non-essential crew members retreated to the ship’s citadel. After an hour, the pirates left the tanker with 4 kidnapped crew, whereas the remaining crew members sailed the tanker to a secure port, the IMB stated.

The id of the ship has not but been confirmed.

Nigeria continues to be a hotspot for violent acts of piracy and armed theft at sea, the place gangs of armed pirates board vessels with the intention of kidnapping crew for ransom or stealing gas oil cargo. The International Maritime Bureau obtained experiences of 14 piracy incidents with 9 boardings in 2015, though the precise numbers are believed to be increased as many go unreported. 

On February twenty third, pirates kidnapped two crew members from Bourbon Offshore vessel off the coast of Nigeria.