Missing oil tanker located off Ivory Coast, crew safe, Singapore authorities confirm

The oil-chemical tanker Success 9, which went missing last week after being boarded by unidentified persons, has been located and its crew is reported to be safe.

The Singapore-flagged tanker was boarded at about 10 pm (Singapore time) on April 10, about 300 nautical miles (556km) off the coast of Abidjan, Cote d’lvoire. 

Since the boarding of the vessel, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has been coordinating with the ship owner and multinational agencies through the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to search for the vessel.

The agencies included the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea, together with the regional security forces, the French navy, coast guards and maritime administrations from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. All nearby and passing commercial ships were also cued to help in the search for Success 9.

“On 15 April at around 1700 hrs (Singapore time), MPA was updated that Success 9, has been located off the coast of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire,” MPA said in an update.

“A commercial ship, Monjasa Sprinter, passing by had earlier picked up a distress call from Success 9. The master of Monjasa Sprinter then reported the location of Success 9 to the latter’s company security officer (CSO). The CSO updated MPA, who immediately informed the IFC and Monrovia Regional MRCC. A Côte d’Ivoire Navy patrol vessel was deployed to confirm and board Success 9.”

MPA added that all 20 crew members were safe and in good health.

The ship has since safely arrived at Abidjan port.

The boarding is being reported on the back of the recent kidnapping of Monjasa Reformer’s crew members.

The chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer also went missing for days after getting boarded by pirates on March 25, some 140 nautical miles West of Port Pointe-Noire, DR Congo. The vessel was located on March 30  90nm south of Bonny, Nigeria.

According to the French Navy, six crew members have been kidnapped by the pirates. The navy managed to locate the vessel Monjasa Reformer after a six-day search in the Gulf of Guinea.