Ghanaian among six crew members of vessel seized by pirates

Pirates have attacked a fishing vessel and seized six crew members, among them one Ghanaian. The vessel was attacked off the coast of Benin, according to news sources, including the BBC monitored in Accra.

The pirates kidnapped five South Koreans and a Ghanaian after boarding their fishing vessel off the coast of Benin, the reports say.

The fishing vessel is Ghanaian-flagged Panofi Frontier and has 30 crew members on board when it was attacked Wednesday about 60 nautical miles south of the Beninoise commercial capital Cotonou. The reports say the other 24 members and the vessel are safe.

According to the reports while the whereabouts of the pirates and the seized crew are unknown, they are suspected to be heading towards Nigeria.

Last month, eight foreign crew members were kidnapped from a Singapore-owned container ship off Cotonou. They were later freed.

Piracy is common along the coast in West Africa. The Gulf of Guinea is a prime target for piracy because the area holds the largest energy hub in the region.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi