Gabon: a trawler taken by storm, 03 crew members removed

Gabon: a trawler taken by storm, 03 crew members removed

A trawler belonging to the Amerger fishing company was targeted by armed attackers from Kalashnikovs on Friday January 31. Several members of his crew are still missing, according to information relayed by Jeune Afrique.

The attack took place off Libreville, Gabon, a fact confirmed by Jean-Paul Cecconi, director of the company Amerger. “One of our boats, which sinned near the Gombé lighthouse, was taken over at the surrounding 9 am”he said. According to him, pirates, aboard a canoe and heavily armed, approached the ship and threatened the crew. Three members were removed: the captain, the mechanic and a sailor. They were reportedly captured about ten kilometers from the beach of the Gombé lighthouse, located about twenty kilometers from Libreville.

According to Gabon Review media, the hostages are of Senegalese nationality, and the authorities are continuing research to try to find them. After the abduction, the French Navy deployed two patrollers and escorted the trawler to its home port.

The incident raises questions about the effectiveness of the maritime security system in Gabon, although the transitional authorities recently initiated reforms to strengthen the surveillance of territorial waters, in particular by equipping the French Navy and the Republican Guard of New Boats fast.

The Gulf of Guinea, historically considered as a high risk area in terms of piracy, had nevertheless recorded a significant drop in attacks in recent years.