BITU RIVER

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Perpetrators left tanker again

The three perpetrators, which had boarded the 'BITU River' 40 nautical miles southeast of Santo Antonio do Príncipe, on the island of Príncipe, São Tomé and Príncipe, have left the ship again. which proceeded to Libreville for refug, whiere it dropped anchor in pos. 00° 18' N 009° 25' E on March 18 at 11 p.m. UTC. The vessel had departed the anchorage of Lome, Togo and was proceeding to Douala.. It was still unclear when the reported shots were fired, but the company security officer confirmed that the pirates had departed. There was no indication if the vessel was robbed or if any crew members were kidnapped. .The indication was that the crew was uninjured.

Tanker boarded by armed pirates

Armed pirates boarded the 'Bitu River' off West Africa on March 17, 2025, at 9 p.m. GMT 41 nautical miles southeast of Santo Antonio, Sao Tome and Principe, and opened gunfire. The bitumen tanker was en route from Lome to Douala. The raid may have been a kidnapping, with as many as 10 seafarers abducted, but this remained unconfirmed. The ship was drifting in the area for about an hour when the attack took place. The crew had retreated to the citadel. The shipowner has lost contact with the master. The vessel's onshore security officer reported that the perpetrators were still on board, indicating that there are five pirates on the vessel. The tanker is controlled by the French Rubis Energiand managed by the Indian Maritec Tanker Management.