Safety4Sea – Armed men attack crew member on bulker in Singapore Strait
18 May 2020
Weekly Shipping Threat Report
18 May 2020
A coalition warship responded to the attack on an oil tanker which had just set sail from the Saudi Arabian city of Jubail.Gunfire was exchanged when pirates attacked a British-flagged oil tanker on Sunday near Yemen.
The pirates fired at the Stolt Apal at approximately 12.30pm UK time in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia.
The tanker sustained damage but no one was injured.
In a statement sent to Sky News, the ship’s owner, Stolt-Nielsen, confirmed that the 185m chemical tanker was attacked on Sunday “by two skiffs running at high speed with six armed pirates”.
“After multiple warning shots were fired by the armed guard team aboard Stolt Apal, the skiffs opened fire on the ship.
“The armed guard team returned fire, disabling one skiff and ending the pursuit.
“The bridge area sustained minor damage from bullets but there were no injuries, no pollution and no cargo impacted on Stolt Apal.”
