Appeals for Diplomacy for Crew Kidnapped by Pirates off Central Africa

Frustrated by a lack of information, the family members of crewmembers kidnapped last week from a product tanker off Africa have gone public with their appeals for assistance. Calling for aid from the Indian government, the family members revealed that 10 crewmembers were abducted from the BITU River last week in an incident off the west coast of Africa.

The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) recorded the incident on March 18 but provided few details other than saying the pirates had ultimately abandoned the vessel. The vessel was the BITU River, a Panama-flagged bitumen tanker operated by Rubis Asphalt, a company that sources bitumen at the refinery and distributes it across West and Central Africa. At the time, no details were released on the status of the crew.

Family members speaking to Indian newspapers revealed the attack took place around 1930 on March 17 while the tanker was approximately 40 nautical miles southeast of Santo Antonio do Príncipe, on the island of Príncipe in the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe off the west coast of Central Africa. The 15,500 dwt vessel had departed the anchorage at Lomé, Togo, and was proceeding to Douala in Cameroon.

The crew retreated into the vessel’s citadel and others hid in the engine room with family members saying they had lost contact with the crew at around 2330. The crew reportedly surrendered when the pirates forcefully breached the citadel and broke into the engine room. Earlier it was said the pirates were armed and there were reports of gunfire when they boarded the vessel.

A total of 10 crewmembers were kidnapped from the vessel, including seven from India and three from Romania. The remaining crew were threatened with violence and confined to a cabin on the tanker. Before leaving the vessel, the pirates also stole personal belongings from the crew including gold, phones, and a laptop.

The families said the company informed them of the kidnappings the following day while assuring them the crewmembers were unharmed. The families are appealing to the Indian government citing the need for swift diplomatic efforts. The authorities have not commented further on the situation.

MDAT-GoG said the company’s safety officer had advised that after the pirates left the vessel, it was proceeding to Libreville in Gabon for refuge. The tanker’s AIS signal shows that it arrived in the Owendo Anchorage in Gabon on March 18 where it remains.