On Saturday the 73,400-dwt Orfeas (built 2008) went
missing off Abidjan in the Ivory Coast reports security consultants AKE.
The
crude and oil products tanker is owned by Greece’s Grace Management and is part
of the Heidmar run Star Tankers pool.
The
Orfeas was scheduled to carry out two ship-to-ship (STS) transfer operations
with the Marshall Islands-flagged lightering vessel Admiral L off Abidjan.
It
completed the first STS operation, but went missing before the second operation
took place at around 0100 local time on 6 October.
Reports
from the vessel’s management company suggest the ship “switched off all lights
and sailed directly south with no explanation.”
The Bahamas-flagged
has twenty-four Greek and Filipino crew on board, along with over 30,000 tons
of gasoline.
“Tanker
hijackings have become a relatively frequent occurrence in the Gulf of Guinea,
but have to date been limited to waters off Nigeria, Benin and Togo,” said AKE.
The
Orfeas’s disappearance follows two days after a German-owned tanker was
hijacked 80nm off Lome, Togo on 5 October.
The
tanker was held for around 24 hours whilst the attackers stole an unknown
quantity of the gasoline cargo, before being released.
“If
Orfeas has been hijacked it will be the first such attack off Ivory Coast in
recent years, and will mark a significant expansion of piracy risk across the
region,” AKE said.
“Operators
are advised ensure crews are well equipped and trained to deal with attacks at
anchor, or underway.”
“A
properly secured and equipped citadel can be highly effective in protecting the
safety of crewmembers in the event of attack.”
The number of attacks in the Gulf off Guinea now stands at 44 this year and have been on the rise recently, the International Maritime Bureau said.
