Page 13 - GLNG Week 42

GLNG AFRICA GLNG

The Methane Princess
is one of 20 ships
seized by pirates in the
Gulf of Guinea since the
beginning of 2020.

Pirates seize LNG tanker from

Punta Europe LNG terminal

PROJECTS & AN LNG tanker has been seized by pirates off the able to depart from Punta Europa at the sched-
COMPANIES coast of Equatorial Guinea, according to Dryad uled time.
Global, a UK-based maritime security firm. It was not immediately clear where the pirates
Dryad Global reported at the weekend that intended to take the vessel, which has a capacity
pirates had boarded the vessel, known as the of 138,000 cubic metres. As of press time, mar-
Methane Princess, on the morning of October itime tracking websites were reporting that the
17. The attack occurred while the tanker was Methane Princess had sailed south-west after
anchored at the Punta Europe LNG export ter- leaving Punta Europa and could no longer be
minal, shortly after the termination of loading monitored. The tanker had been due to arrive in
operations, it said. South Africa on October 28.
The company noted that all of the crewmem- The Methane Princess is one of 20 ships
bers on board the ship had been able to retreat seized by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea since the
to safety after the sounding of the alarm. Only beginning of 2020, according to Dryad Global.
one of these workers had sustained any injuries, It also noted that the incidence of piracy tends to
it said. increase during the last few months of the year.
It also stated, though, that the pirates had “Incident volumes have historically increased
taken two Filipino nationals who were on the between September and December as maritime
jetty near the ship hostage. One of these hostages conditions improve,” it said.
jumped off the vessel and into the water before The firm also pointed out that there had been
being rescued, it said, while the other was not some year-on-year shifts on this front in the
able to escape. region. “Despite larger numbers of kidnapped
Equatoguinean authorities responded personnel across the first half of 2020 [in the
quickly to the incident, sending several naval Gulf of Guinea], the current trend indicates that
vessels to the LNG terminal within the first incidents of kidnapping and numbers of kid-
hour after the pirates boarded the ship. How- napped personnel are tracking below the same
ever, no shots were fired, and the pirates were time period in 2019,” it said.™

Week 42 23•October•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P13