Pirates Kill Ship’s Officer

Pirates killed a ship’s officer aboard an oil tanker off the coast of west Africa, according to a report from Agence France Presse.

The pirates shot and killed the chief officer, or second in command, of the Monrovia-flagged Cancale Star when he confronted them in the early morning hours of Nov. 24 approximately 18 nautical miles from the coast of Benin, the ship’s owners Chemikalien Seetransport said in a statement.

Medics aboard the vessel said four other crew members were wounded in the attack, one seriously, said AFP.

Some of the crew managed to overpower one of the pirates and handed him over to police for questioning. The captured pirate said he was from a Nigerian border town, according to the report.

Piracy in oil-rich west African waters is increasing, according to the International Maritime Bureau. More than 100 cases occurred there last year. In the first nine months of 2009, the International Maritime Organization reported 160 acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, on the east coast of Africa, including 34 hijacked vessels and more than 450 people held hostage.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.