Nigerian Pirates Seize French Oil Tanker off Ivory Coast, 17 Kidnapped

After a French oil tanker fell off the radar this weekend off the Ivory Coast, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) suspected that this was an act of piracy.

Now, Abidjan port officials have confirmed that the vessel was hijacked in international waters.

The tanker has 17 crewmembers aboard it, who are believed to have been kidnapped along with the ship. According to the Washington Times, the tanker went missing Sunday after it was flagged in Luxembourg.

An IMB spokesperson noted that this is the third pirate attack in a matter of days. A mariner was shot on Monday during an attempted pirate hijacking off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria. Last week, pirates tried to take over another oil tanker traveling Nigeria’s coast. They seek the vessels’ oil cargo, worth millions.