Breaking news! A pirate attack occurred in the Gulf of Guinea

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The Gulf of Guinea, a high-incidence area for pirate hijacking, has recently witnessed another pirate attack - a chemical tanker was attacked in the waters near Togo. Currently, the AIS signal of the involved vessel has been cut off, and the details of the incident are still under further verification.

Vanguard Tech, a maritime risk consulting firm, was the first to release a report stating that the vessel that was attacked was located about 56 nautical miles south of Lome, the capital of Togo. Through the initial investigation, the agency judged that it was "highly likely" that the chemical tanker "Endo Ponente" was attacked by pirates.

According to AIS data provided by Ship Vision, the "Endo Ponente" set sail from the anchorage near Lome on the morning of August 28th and then sailed straight south, maintaining a speed of 6-7 knots. At around 1830 on that day, the ship turned its rudder to the right and completed a circular turn, and then its speed dropped sharply to less than one knot. Half an hour later, the AIS signal of the "Endo Ponente" completely disappeared. Currently, its location cannot be tracked through this system, and the safety status of the vessel and its crew is unknown.

Public information shows that the "Endo Ponente" is an oil tanker specifically designed for transporting chemicals. It was built in 2010, currently flying the Maltese flag, with a deadweight tonnage of 7,252 and a minimum freeboard length of 2 meters.

It is worth noting that the Gulf of Guinea has been listed by the International Maritime Organization as one of the regions with the highest maritime security risks globally due to frequent incidents of pirate hijackings and crew kidnappings. However, under the joint crackdown and prevention and control efforts of the international community and coastal countries in recent years, the incidence of pirate attacks in this region has dropped significantly. The recent attack on a chemical tanker in the waters near Togo is a relatively rare situation in recent times.

Given that the AIS signal of the "Endo Ponente" has been interrupted for more than some time and the operating company has not spoken yet, there is still considerable uncertainty regarding the subsequent development of the incident. Xinde Maritime will continue to closely follow the latest developments of this incident. Once it acquires key information such as the location of the involved vessel, the safety status of the crew, and the demands of the pirates, it will update and report it immediately.