A suspected pirate attack on the Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel Mengxin 1 in Ghanaian waters yesterday resulted in the kidnapping of three Chinese crew members.
It was found that the attackers had left the ship without the missing crew members, the captain, chief mate, and chief engineer.
Around 5:53 p.m., seven armed individuals reportedly rushed the ship, firing warning shots and forcing some crew members to take cover in a safe place.
The crew was rounded up on deck and their phones were confiscated by the attackers, who reportedly stayed on board for about three hours before leaving.
“When the crew emerged, they discovered that the ship’s captain, chief mate, and chief engineer, all Chinese nationals, were missing and are believed to have been kidnapped. Due to poor signal coverage at sea, the crew had to sail closer to shore before they could report the incident,” a statement issued today (March 29, 2025) by the Director-General of Public Relations at the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, said.
According to the statement, the ship has since reached Tema Fishing Harbour without incident, and the crew was being questioned by Marine Police and Naval Intelligence officials.
Additionally, it said that as part of larger regional efforts to combat maritime piracy within the Yaoundé security framework, authorities had warned neighboring nations through the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) in Accra.
The statement promised that every effort was being made to find the criminals and ensure the cops who had been kidnapped returned safely.
Source: newsthemegh.com