Maersk Container Ship Attacked Twice Overnight In Gulf Of Guinea - Reports

Maersk Container Ship Attacked Twice Overnight in Gulf of Guinea - Reports

Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea attacked the Maersk Cardiff container ship twice overnight, the Maritime Bulletin portal reports on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2021) Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea attacked the Maersk Cardiff container ship twice overnight, the Maritime Bulletin portal reports on Thursday.

The first attack reportedly took place southwest of the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday, the portal said.

Pirates are then believed to have launched a second attack, potentially boarding the vessel, four hours later.

As of 02:30 GMT on Thursday morning, the Maersk Cardiff vessel was drifting near the site of the attack with a security boat at its side, the portal said.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, 195 incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported worldwide in 2020, a 20 percent jump from the preceding year. The increase has been driven by a surge in attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.