According to security consultancy Dryad Global, the heavy lift ship Zhen Hua 7 was boarded by pirates at a position about 80 nm to the northeast of Sao Tome, in the Gulf of Guinea. The ship was drifting at the time of the boarding. 14 out of her 27 crewmembers were kidnapped, and all of the victims are Chinese nationals, according to Dryad.Zhen Hua 7 is a 50,000 dwt semisubmersible heavy lift ship flagged in Liberia. She is owned by a prominent Chinese heavy lift operator based in Shanghai. As of Sunday, the vessel was still adrift in the same region, broadcasting her destination as Luba, Equitorial Guinea.The boarding is the eighth attack or attempted attack in the Gulf of Guinea region within nine days, according to Dryad, and it highlights the ongoing critical risk to shipping off West Africa. It also marks the area's 21st kidnapping of the year and brings the total number of abducted seafarers to 110.
Source: Maritime-Executive (Click for further of the article)
Source: Maritime-Executive (Click for further of the article)