Pirates Scared Off from Tanker Attack by Approaching Togolese Patrol Boat
The suspected attack on a small chemical tanker off the coast of Togo in West Africa is over, with the crew reported to be safe and AIS signals showing the vessel underway. The incident took place approximately 60 nautical miles south of Lome, Togo, but details remain unclear.
The joint French–British monitoring operation Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) records the incident as concluded and lists it as a small vessel coming in close proximity to the tanker, which has been identified in other reports as the Endo Ponete (7,250 dwt) registered in Malta. Maritime risk consultancy Vanguard Tech reports that a vessel had been attacked and termed it an attempted boarding, while Ambrey called it a boarding incident.
The vessel was getting underway from Togo and southbound for the Democratic Republic of Congo when the small boat approached. Vanguard reports the captain ordered the crew to muster and enter the citadel, and they notified the local authorities.
A Togolese patrol boat was dispatched, and according to the reports, the pirates fled when they saw the approaching naval support. The vessel was searched, and the crew was released from the citadel. There are no reports of damage, but it is unclear if the vessel was boarded.
Built in 2010, the tanker, which is 95 meters (312 feet) in length, is reported to have been operating in the region since being acquired by Endo Tankers in June 2023. It previously operated as the Mandume, registered in the Marshall Islands.
Product tankers have emerged as a favored target of the pirates in the region. In April, a product tanker was boarded and robbed while off the Nigerian coast, and in the past, product tankers have been robbed of fuel in the region near Cote d’Ivoire. In March, a product tanker was robbed and crewmembers kidnapped further south off the Central African coast.
MDAT-GoG reports this is the first incident in the region in at least 90 days. It reported a rash of incidents in the March and April timeframe, but overall, serious crime against merchant ships has been dramatically reduced after peaking in 2020 in the Gulf of Guinea region.