22 Indian crew with Oil tanker feared hijacked off Africa
22 Indian crew with Oil tanker feared hijacked off Africa: An oil tanker carrying a cargo of petrol with 22 Indian crew members is feared hijacked off the West African country of Benin, as per the shipping company. ‘The ship was last traced to the port of Coutonou in Benin where it was anchored on January 31,’ according to information put out by Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern Ship Management. The tanker was carrying 13,500 tonnes of petrol worth $8.1 million. “Authorities have been alerted and are responding …. our top priority is the safety of the crew whose families have been contacted,” the statement added. According to trade publication Maritime Executive, the Panama-registered MT Marine Express was the second ship to have been lost over the last few days. Pirates had last month hijacked another tanker MT Barrett. However, all the crew members were let go after six days when its owner, Union Maritime apparently paid a ransom to the pirates, according to the trade sources. Information available from Anglo Eastern Ship Management, which has an office in Mumbai, the crew of the MT Marine Express comprise entirely of Indians. Officials from the company said the Director General of Shipping in New Delhi has sought information from officials in Nigeria and Benin to locate the MT Express. -PTC News
