Success 9 vessel attacked and boarded 310nm south of Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire

ARX Mouldings is following reports that a Singaporean-flagged chemical/products tanker was reportedly boarded in international waters 310nm south of Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire.

Security consultant Ambrey noted that the vessel’s AIS transmissions stopped at 14:25 UTC, 25 minutes after the incident reportedly started. The vessel was drifting with an estimated 2.1m freeboard at the time.

Ambrey understands that the vessel routinely engages in ship-to-ship operations with commercial fishing vessels and other bunker tanker operators in West Africa.

Security consultants Praesidium identified the vessel as the Singapore-flagged Success 9, a 6,135 dwt product tanker owned by HS Ocean of Singapore.

“The apparent modus operandi and the target aligned with a pattern of recent attacks on merchant vessels operating in the regional bunker trade. These have involved extended duration robberies,” Ambrey stated in a note to clients, advising m,erchant vessels to adopt heightened vigilance in the area.