The attack took place about 90 nautical miles south of Lagos, the country's economic capital. The Nigerian navy named the vessel as the MT Cape Bird that is registered in the Marshall Islands. The vessel is believed to be carrying 30 000 tons of fuel.
The navies of both Nigeria and Benin are searching the ocean for the hijacked vessel.
The Nigerian coast is increasingly becoming a haunt for pirates who hijack ships loaded with crude oil from the Niger Delta and then sell it on the region's lucrative black market. Earlier this month, pirates armed with automatic weapons boarded a chemical tanker of Benin and stole cash from the crew.
The coast off Benin has had about 20 piracy incidents this year compared with none last year. However, piracy has been a sustained problem for the last 20 years off the Nigerian coast.
Nigeria and Benin have launched joint sea patrols to tackle the scourge of piracy in the region.
Read the full article on www.iol.co.za.
