Oil tanker with 22 Indian sailors on board goes missing off Africa coast

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A tanker vessel with 22 Indian sailors on board is reported to be missing off the coast of Benin, a west African country, for the past three days.

It is suspected that the MT Marine Express, carrying 13,500 tonne of gasoline, may have been hijacked by pirates.

A relative of one of the sailors on board, Sree Unni, said the Mumbai-based ship company (Anglo Indian Ship Management) informed them that they had lost contact with the ship since January 31. Worried relatives have sought the help of the ministry of shipping. Ministry officials said they were in touch with their counterparts in Nigeria and other African counties to help locate the ship.

Last month, another vessel M T Barret had gone missing off the coast of Benin. The crew, most of them Indians, were released after six days after reportedly paying ransom. “We fear the worst. We are in touch with the ministry of external affairs also,” said one of Unni’s relatives.

“Our top priority is safety of crew. Authorities have been alerted and they are responding well. We have been informing relatives about the latest developments,” tweeted an official of the shipping firm.

The shipping company officials said they lost contact with the vessel at 6.30pm on January 31, when it was anchored at Cotonou, Benin. The area is notorious for pirates.

The next day, at 2.36am, satellite tracking showed the ship missing from anchorage in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Panama-registered vessel was carrying 13,500 tonne of gasoline, which is valued at $600 per tonne, bringing the total value of the cargo to about $8.1 million (about ₹52 crore).