At least 12 crew members have been kidnapped after pirates stormed a Portugal-flagged LPG carrier off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. The attack occurred early on Monday about 50 nautical miles west of Mbini, according to security company Vanguard.
The vessel, the 2003-built CGas Saturn, is owned by Denmark's Christiania Gas and was heading to the capital Malabo when it was assaulted. Four crew members were left on board, with one reportedly injured by a stray bullet, maritime outlet Splash 247 reported.
The Gulf of Guinea remains a major hotspot for piracy, with most incidents occurring around Nigeria's Niger Delta. In the first nine months of 2025, 15 incidents were reported in the region, the International Maritime Bureau said. Ten took place within territorial waters, classified as armed robbery, while the remaining five were categorised as piracy.
Last year, around 116 ships were attacked worldwide by pirates, according to Statista. The data suggests attacks are becoming less common after peaking in 2010 with about 445 reported incidents.
