The Liberia-flagged NS Spirit product carrier, owned by Novoship of Sovcomflot Group, came under attack of pirates on the approach to the port of Lagos (Nigeria) on November 22, at 01:49 (MT), 30 miles from the coast, the shipping company’s press service reported citing the ship master.
According to the master nearly a dozen of gunmen boarded the vessel and opened automatic fire. The crew was evacuated to a shelter. Shortly after the attack the pirates left the vessel. There were no new attempts to pirate the vessel, the master said.
All crew members are reported alive, but one of the crew received a gunshot wound. He has been evacuated to the hospital, the report said.
As of now, the NS Spirit is anchored at the Lagos harbor. The tanker and its cargo were not damaged, the ship owner said.
The 47,000DWT NS Spirit tanker was built at a Croatia shipyard in 2006. The ship's crew – 22, all Russia nationality. The vessel was bound for Lagos Port with 37,700 tons of gasoline on board.