Sushma Swaraj says the government is making all efforts in coordination with Nigerian and Benin naval authorities to trace the missing ship
An oil tanker with 22 Indians on board has gone missing in the piracy-plagued waters off the Benin coast in the Gulf of Guinea near West Africa, the Directorate General of Shipping said on Sunday.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the government is making all efforts in coordination with Nigerian and Benin naval authorities to trace the missing ship. She tweeted a helpline number for any information.
"Merchant Ship Marine Express with 22 Indian nationals is missing off the Coast of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea. We are making all-out efforts in coordination with Nigerian and Benin naval authorities to trace the missing ship.
We have set up a Helpline no. (+234)9070343860," Swaraj tweeted.
No contact has been established with the vessel so far and there have been no reports of a ransom call, the Directorate General of Shipping said. "The region has a history of piracy and it may be a case of suspected piracy. All communication with the vessel has been lost, and right now we do not know if a ransom call has been made," an official of the Directorate General of Shipping told PTI.
The ship has gone missing less than a month after another vessel 'MT Barret' had gone missing off the coast of Benin in January and was later confirmed to have been hijacked.
The crew of 22, most of whom were Indians, were reportedly released after the ransom was paid.
Earlier, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, "Our Mission in Abuja (Nigeria) is in touch with the authorities in Benin and Nigeria for their help in locating the ship and is constantly monitoring the situation."
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