The tanker was last reported to be sailing with 17 Georgian sailors on board in the Gulf of Guinea, a known piracy hotspot.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia said that an investigation into the incident was underway in cooperation with the owner of the ship Lotus Shipping from Greece, the Panama Ship Registry and other relevant authorities, including military forces such as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Based on the ministry’s statement, the 2006-built ship was transporting oil when it was last contacted.
The vessel’s latest AIS data shows it was headed from Ownedo, Gibon to Libreville, Gabon.
According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), all crew kidnappings recorded this year have taken place in the Gulf of Guinea.
Six separate incidents have been reported in 2018, but the true number of incidents in the Gulf is believed to be “significantly higher” than what is reported to the IMB PRC.
據報導，巴拿馬國旗化學品船Pantelena自2018年8月14日失踪以來一直失踪。
據報導，該油輪在幾內亞灣（一個已知的海盜地帶）船上載有17名喬治亞船員。
喬治亞外交部表示，正在與希臘船Lotus Shipping所有人、巴拿馬船舶登記處和其他有關當局，包括英國海上貿易業務等軍隊合作，對該事件進行調查。 UKMTO）。
根據該部的聲明，2006年建造的船在最後一次接觸時正在運輸石油。
該船的最新AIS數據顯示它從Owono, Gibon前往Libreville, Gabon。
據國際刑事法院國際海事局（IMB）稱，今年記錄的所有船員綁架都發生在幾內亞灣。
據報導，2018年發生了六起事件，但海灣地區事件的真實數量被認為“明顯高於”IMB PRC報告的數量。
Information source: World Maritime News Staff; Image Courtesy: NAN
