AfricaOffshoreOperationsPiracy

BW Offshore FPSO attacked by pirates off Nigeria, nine workers kidnapped

BW Offshore has announced that FPSO Sendje Berge was attacked by pirates this morning around 4:20am local time offshore Nigeria.

The pirates kidnapped nine Nigerian national workers before leaving the vessel. BW said that none of the remaining workers onboard have suffered physical injuries.

“BW Offshore is cooperating with local authorities, represented on site by the Nigerian Navy,” the company said in a short statement.

Unconfirmed reports state that explosives were used in the attack.

“The use of such weapons (particularly grenades and RPG’s) has thus far not been seen in wider piracy reporting in West Africa and has more in common with attacks perpetuated by militants,” maritime security intelligence firm Dryad Global said.

The FPSO is operating on the Okwori field in Nigeria on contract to Addax Petroleum.

Grant Rowles

Grant spent nine years at Informa Group based in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore. He gained strong management experience in publishing, conferences and awards schemes in the shipping and legal areas, working on a number of titles including Lloyd's List. In 2009 Grant joined Seatrade responsible for the commercial development of Seatrade’s Asia products. In 2012, with Sam Chambers, he co-founded Asia Shipping Media.
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