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24.07.2011 Guinea

Pirates seize Italian tanker in Gulf of Guinea

By AFP
Three pirates managed to board the ship 23 nautical miles south of Cotonou.  By AFP AFP GraphicThree pirates managed to board the ship 23 nautical miles south of Cotonou. By AFP (AFP Graphic)
24.07.2011 LISTEN

ROME (AFP) - Pirates seized an Italian tanker with a crew of 23 in the Gulf of Guinea on Sunday, the ANSA news agency said.

The Rbd Anema e Core's crew includes 20 Filipino seamen, two Italians and a Romanian captain.

Three pirates managed to board the ship 23 nautical miles south of Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin.

Italy's foreign ministry said its crisis unit was in touch with the Naples-based shipowner and following the situation closely.

Italy stepped up its measures against piracy earlier in July, clearing commercial ships sailing through dangerous waters to use private security guards or soldiers for protection.

It is not clear whether the Rbd Anema e Core was carrying armed guards.

Pirates have seized several Italian boats over the last few years.

On April 21 Somali pirates captured an Italian cargo ship headed for Iran with 21 crew members on board, including six Italians, in the Arabian Sea near Oman.

In February, pirates wielding rocket-launchers seized a large Italian oil tanker with a crew of five Italians and 17 Indians east off the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean.

After that attack, Italy's shipowners association Confitarma, called for ships to have armed guards aboard.

The use of barbed wire or water cannons was "no longer enough" against "aggressive and dangerous" pirates, they argued.

© 2011 AFP

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