Fourteen crew have been kidnapped from a Chinese heavylift ship in the Gulf of Guinea, the latest in a spate of pirate attacks in the increasingly dangerous West African region.

The 48,127-dwt Liberia-flag Zhen Hua 7 (built 1998) was reported to have had some crew members unaccounted for after a boarding incident northwest of Sao Tome, Dryad Global had said in a note on Friday.