NEW DELHI: India says it has sought the help of the Nigerian and Benin navies to find an oil tanker that has gone missing with 22 Indian crew members off Benin’s coast.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed late Sunday that the tanker, Marine Express, went missing in the Gulf of Guinea.
It’s not known whether the ship was hijacked for ransom or to steal the nearly 13,500 tons (15,120 tons) of gasoline on board.
The ship, owned by a Mumbai company, has been missing since Jan. 31 with no contact with the crew so far, according to Indian media reports.
International efforts have brought down the threat of piracy off Somalia’s coast in recent years. Concerns about piracy off Africa’s coast have now largely shifted to the Gulf of Guinea.
Oil tanker with 22 Indian crew missing off Benin’s coast
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