Incident
Suspicious Approach
DTG
26 March 2020 0820UTC
Position
05°59.8’N, 002°21.2’E
Ship Dimension
N/A
Vessel / Cargo
N/A
Location
22nm South of Cotonou
Source Confidence Level
High
Incident Overview
Reporting indicates that a vessel has reported being approached to within 2 cable lengths by a skiff containing 4 – 5 persons.
Vessels should exercise extreme caution in the area and maintain watches 24/7 for any small craft acting suspiciously in the area, and report in to authorities any sightings.
Dryad Analysis
Thus far within 2020 there have been three incidents in the waters South of Cotonou involving two boarding incidents and one kidnapping. The latest incident occurred 23nm South of this latest incident on 5th March 20 and involved the boarding of the MINERVA VIRGO by 5 – 6 persons. This latest report is unusually close to the Cotonou Anchorage areas with the majority of reporting in this area occurring at a distance of 50 – 80nm. Within 2019 there were two incidents recorded within the Cotonou Anchorage areas.
Dryad will continue to update this post as necessary.
