Four pirates armed with a gun and knives boarded a tanker in the early hours of Sunday, September 22, 2019, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre.
The perpetrators reportedly took the watchman on duty hostage, tied his hands and forced him to lead them to the bridge.
Once inside the bridge the robbers took the duty officer hostage and forced him to lead them to the Captain, Chief Engineer, third officer and bosun’s cabins, the IMB centre said.
After looting the cabins, the robbers locked the crew in a cabin and escaped. Crew personal belongings, cash and ship’s properties were stolen, the report shows.
The operator of the vessels, Latvia-based ship manager LSC Ltd, emphasized that there were no injuries to the crew members adding that the entire crew is in “good spirit and health”. The company noted that there were no reports of damages to the cargo and the vessel following the incident.