In a significant escalation in West African pirate attacks, one crew member has been killed, while 15 seafarers have been kidnapped, on the container ship Mozart following an attack that took place on 23 January.
[s2If is_user_logged_in()]The vessel was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria to Cape Town, South Africa and was around 100 nautical miles from shore when the attack occurred.
“Whilst violent attacks and kidnappings in West African waters are common, it is highly unusual for crew to be killed,” Dryad Global analyst Sarah Knight told Container News.
Knight noted that this attack is exceptional in its distance from shore and the loss of life of a crew member, as it is one of the furthest offshore maritime incidents in West Africa.
“Of between 19 and 20 crew members on board the MV Mozart, 15 Turkish crew were kidnapped and one Azeri engineer was killed, leaving the remaining crew to seek help in Gabonese waters,” Knight added.
“The distance from shore and severity of attack indicates the pirates have access to considerable resources and capability,” explains Knight.
The attack was remarkable in that the citadel was accessed, which resulted in the kidnapping and death of the Azeri crew member.
“Normally citadels are well-secured, specifically for incidents like this, however, we can’t account for the security of this vessel’s citadel,” points out Knight.
Furthermore, unconfirmed reports suggest the use of explosives to access the citadel, which would be a first in the region, according to Dryad Global. Although it is still unknown how the pirates have managed to access the citadel of the Mozart, the Dryad Global analyst believes there are two other possible scenarios; the citadel was either not properly secured or was opened by the crew inside when those not within the citadel were threatened.
Hapag-Lloyd, which has deployed Mozart on its MIAX service, said in its announcement that “Since the pirates destroyed parts of the bridge, the vessel is currently unable to continue her voyage without significant delay.”
The German container line added, “we have all hands on deck in our efforts to support the vessel owner to free his crew as well as finding a swift solution for all customers impacted by this tragic event.”
The record distance from shore and the effectiveness of the attack indicates a worrying increase in the capability and determination of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, highlighted Knight, who went on to add, “Larger, well-secured vessels travelling far offshore can no longer consider themselves safe from potentially deadly pirate activity.”
Kitack Lim, the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), commented on the piracy attack, “I am deeply concerned by reports of the criminal attack on the container ship Mozart, which has left one seafarer dead. Fifteen crew are reported kidnapped. I express my deepest sympathies to the families. I am monitoring developments, and wish that this matter be resolved quickly.”
Lim added, “This is an extremely serious attack on merchant shipping. IMO is committed to enhancing the interactions with the relevant stakeholders including the littoral states to prevent such further incidents occurring.”
This is the fifth offshore incident in the Gulf of Guinea this year, while total incidents throughout West Africa in 2020 showed a partial increase of 12% on those of 2019, according to Dryad Global.
The 2,824TEU Mozart, a charter vessel in Hapag-Lloyd’s MIAX service, is part of Turkish-based Boden Maritime’s fleet, which accounts for the largely Turkish crew. The 2007-built vessel is owned by Bomar Mozart LLC, care of Borealis Maritime Ltd, Picadilly, London, and is registered in the Marshall Islands.[/s2If]
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