Togo: 4 Sailors Kidnapped by Pirates
Four crew members have been kidnapped from a Greek oil tanker off the coast of Togo.
The crew members – comprising of two Filipino nationals, a Greek national and a Georgian national – were kidnapped by pirates, who forcefully boarded “Elka Aristotle” early on Monday morning, 4 November.
The tanker was situated 18 km from the shipping port of Lome when the kidnapping took place.
According to reports, the assailants shot and wounded a security guard before abducting the four crew members.
European Product Carriers Ltd – which manages the tanker – confirmed the incident and expressed its regrets in a statement.
They said: “The safety and security of our people is of paramount importance to us, and we are doing everything we can to ensure their prompt and safe release. The vessel and remaining crew are safe.”
Both the Greek foreign and shipping ministries are monitoring the incident – one which comes two days after nine crew members were kidnapped by pirates from a Norwegian-flagged cargo ship 15 km off the coast of Benin.
