Nigeria pirates hijack MT Halifax oil tanker

BBC

3 November 2011

Nigeria pirates hijack MT Halifax oil tanker

The United Nations has urged West African countries to step up anti-piracy patrols

Pirates have seized an oil products tanker off southern Nigeria, security officials say.

Gunmen boarded the MT Halifax off Port Harcourt, the main city in the oil-rich Niger Delta, they said.

The owners of the vessel lost contact with the tanker on 30 October, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

The UN this week urged West African nations to increase naval patrols following a surge of pirate attacks.

The IMB says the crew of 25 are being held by the pirates, who are expected to steal the oil in the ship's hold.