Piracy Threat: Tanker Boarded and Robbed Off Nigeria

A product tanker was boarded by pirates more than 100 nautical miles south of the Nigerian coast earlier this week. Fortunately, the crew was well-prepared and remained safe during the incident. This was the first reported incident in the area recently, but security services are warning that the risks remain high across the Gulf of Guinea and in West Africa.

According to the official report from Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), the boarding took place on April 21. Four individuals approached the vessel in a black-hulled craft at high speed and stayed aboard for nearly four hours, taking personal property and equipment before fleeing. Security consultants praised the captain and crew for quickly following mitigation recommendations by fleeing to the citadel, where they remained safe during the incident.

While the vessel involved in the incident was not officially named, unconfirmed reports suggest it was the Sea Panther, a chemical tanker with Greek ownership. Despite this being the first reported incident near Nigeria in years, the dangers in the region remain high. Recent incidents include the murder of a fashion designer by pirates in Port Harcourt, as well as a shootout with a pirate group in the Niger Delta Region. MDAT-GoG data shows a total of four incidents in April alone, highlighting the ongoing threat of piracy in the region.

Neptune P2P Group reported this incident as the fifth boarding in the Gulf of Guinea in 2025, representing a 30 percent increase in activity compared to the same period in 2024. Security services have also warned of continued pirate group activity in the region between Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé e Principe. Despite the crew’s safety in this recent incident, the risks of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and West Africa remain a serious concern for maritime security.

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