Location: Ship around 70 kilometres outside the port of Cotonou in Benin(West Africa).
Around ten pirates boarded the ship while the crew unloaded the cargo of oil to an adjacent vessel. The crew, consisting of four Swedes, 18 Filipinos and a Ukrainian proceeded to lock themselves in. The pirates tried to get into where the crew had blockaded themselves, but fled when units from Benin's navy fleet approached. Crew members are unhurt.
The attack raises once again the question of whether Swedish ships should be able to arm themselves in the battle against pirates. The government is current investigating whether Swedish shipping companies should be allowed to have armed guards on board their ships. But Many companies have already begun to employ guards.
Date: 04 Aug 2011 Source: The Local
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