Pirates Seize Cargo and Personal Belongings
A vessel carrying one South Korean national was hijacked by pirates off the coast near the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa but has since been released.
On the 15th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We successfully communicated with the South Korean national aboard the 'Seokseuseu 9-ho' around 7:30 PM today, confirming that all 20 crew members, including one South Korean, are safe. The pirates reportedly stole cargo and personal belongings from the ship before fleeing."
The Seokseuseu 9-ho is a 4,300-ton Singapore-flagged oil tanker. Contact was lost around 11 PM Korean time on the 10th, approximately 309 nautical miles (about 572 km) south of C?te d'Ivoire. The vessel had crew members including 15 Myanmar nationals, as well as South Koreans, Singaporeans, Chinese, and Indonesians.
The area near the Gulf of Guinea is known for frequent pirate activity. Previously, in November last year, the B-Ocean, an oil tanker carrying two South Korean nationals, was hijacked by pirates about 200 nautical miles south of C?te d'Ivoire and was released after nine days.
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