Pirates attacked a Greek oil tanker off the coast of Togo in the early hours of Monday and fled after taking four crew members -among them one Greek- as hostages. The company confirmed the kidnapping on Monday afternoon.
Of the kidnapped crew members, two are Filipinos, one is Greek and one is Georgian, the Tongo navy said in a statement. One security guard was also shot and wounded in the attack, it said.
According to the Togo Navy, the kidnapped crew members include two Filipinos, one Greek and one Georgian.
“Monday, 4th of November 2019, around 0300, the tanker boat “Elka Aristotle” was attacked around 18 kilometres (11 miles) from the port of Lome by armed individuals,” the statement said.
The navy stated that the tanker was guarded by armed personnel, one of whom was wounded during a shoot-out.
On Saturday, a similar incident occurred near neighbouring Benin as pirates attacked a Norwegian-flagged boat, abducting nine Filipino crew members.
Greek authorities, the Shipping and the Foreign Ministry have been informed about the incident.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the managing company of the oil tanker expressed its “deep sorrow” for the kidnapping and stressed that “all efforts are done to ensure the release of the four crew members.”
The company reassures that the rest of the crew are in safety.
