Incident
Kidnap
DTG
02 Nov 2019
Position
06 12.6N 002 30.6E
Ship Dimension
189m x 32m 32315GT
Ship Cargo
Bulk Carrier
Location
1 NM south of Z3 SAA
Source Confidence Level
N/A
What Exactly Happened
Incident Overview
Reporting indicates that when anchored at Cotonou anchorage area, the general cargo vessel BONITA was boarded by unknown persons. Reporting went on to indicate that the vessel was boarded by English speaking pirates who are alleged to have boarded the vessel while it awaited discharge at Cotonou Port. It is understood that at the time of reporting nine personnel have been kidnapped, with the remainder of the crew considered accounted for and safe.
Our Experts Say
Dryad Analysis
This is the first reported incident within Cotonou within 2019. Whilst a significant incident, there has been a rapid reduction in incidents compared with 5 recorded boarding’s by this time last year.
