Oil tanker with 22 Indian sailors goes missing off West African coast

An oil tanker with 22 Indian crew members on board went missing off the coast of Benin in West Africa, according to a statement issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs.


"A merchant vessel Marine Express (oil tanker), owned by Mumbai-based Anglo-Eastern shipping company with 22 Indian nationals onboard, is presumably missing off the coast of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea," the ministry said on Twitter.

The Panama-registered vessel was reportedly carrying 13,500 tonnes of gasoline when contact with it was lost on January 31.

Media reports said the MT Marine Express may have been hijacked by pirates, although there has been no official confirmation or denials of such claims.

Nigerian authorities have alerted all boats to search for the missing vessel and to report to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Anti-Piracy Reporting Center immediately if spotted.
 (chinamedia)
 5/2/18