Working Conditions Aboard the Sampatiki

In a harrowing incident on March 26, the chemical tanker SAMPATIKI fell victim to a piracy attack conducted by a group of eight armed assailants. As reported by Slash24/7 and Trade Winds, the attack occurred in the early hours of the morning, with the pirates taking control of the vessel for approximately four hours. During this time, they ransacked the ship and ultimately abducted five crew members as hostages. Fortunately, the remaining crew members were unharmed. After the ordeal, the SAMPATIKI managed to continue its journey and reached the outer anchorage of Lagos on March 27. The attack took place in the vicinity of coordinates 04°20'N 005°10'E, roughly 30 nautical miles off the Bayelsa coast, while the tanker was en route from Port Harcourt to Lube, Nigeria.

In a significant development, three vessels that were reportedly assailed by pirates and had been missing in the Gulf of Guinea have been safely recovered and transported to the Port of Tema. The vessels involved include the Liberian-flagged tanker 'Fair Artemis', the Ghanaian-registered fishing boat 'Mariner 771', and another vessel named 'Sampatiki'. Preliminary investigations carried out by security forces in Ghana have indicated that none of these vessels experienced an attack within Ghanaian territorial waters.