GULF OF GUINEA: Pirates Resume Kidnapping , As Nine Seafarers Snatched In Daring Ambush Aboard LPG Carrier
Nine seafarers have been kidnapped in a pirate attack on LPG carrier CGAS Saturn off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.
Maritime security company Vanguard said the Portugal-flagged CGAS Saturn was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, approximately 50nm west of Mbini, Equatorial Guinea.
At least nine crew were kidnapped and four left onboard, said Vanguard, and one crew member was injured. Those left onboard were the second captain, third captain, deck officer, and oiler, it claimed.
An earlier initial report from Vanguard said at least 12 crew were kidnapped and one left onboard.
CGAS Saturn is owned and operated by Christiania Gas, the LPG shipping arm of Eitzen Group’s Christiania Shipping.
Christiania Shipping issued a statement confirming the attack, the kidnapping of nine crew, and light injuries sustained by one of the four seafarers remaining onboard the ship. CGAS Saturn has proceeded to safe waters, it added.
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“Christiania Gas is greatly concerned about the attack on its vessel and seafarers. The company’s main priority now is to establish contact with the missing crew to secure their earliest and safe release,” said Christiania Shipping.
The 2003-built ship was en route to Equatorial Guinea’s capital Malabo on the island of Bioko at the time of the attack.
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“The emergency response team are liaising with all relevant authorities who have been notified immediately after the incident. The company is in close contact with the families of the seafarers to support them in this extremely difficult time,” the company said.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea peaked in the middle of the last decade and has been in decline in recent years. Four incidents off Equatorial Guinea were reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in 2024, including one resulting in the kidnapping of two crew from a general cargo vessel.
On March 17 this year, 10 armed pirates boarded Panama-flagged Bitu River while underway and kidnapped 10 crew members including the captain and chief engineer.