At around 21:00 GMT, gun firing was reported approximately 38 nautical miles southeast of Santo Antonio, Sao Tome and Principe, Gulf Guinea, off West Africa. The crew retreated to the vessel's citadel, a fortified safe room designed to protect against pirate attacks. The contact with the vessel was lost following the incident, leaving the status of the crew uncertain at the time of reporting.
The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade-Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), operated by the UK and French navies, issued an alert about the incident. The authorities suspected this as a kidnapping event due to the loss of communication and the nature of the attack.
The Bitu River is a Panama-flagged vessel owned by SK Shipping Co Ltd of South Korea. The 2022-built vessel departed from Lome Anchorage, Togo on 15th March.
Source: marinetraffic.com
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