Crew on Maersk ship is safe after pirate attacks

 The container ship "Maersk Cadiz" was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea off Nigeria on Saturday. On Sunday, all 21 crew members are safe. The ship is also secured, Maersk's press manager, Signe Wagner, informs in an email. "We are very concerned about the increased security risk from armed attacks on merchant ships in the area. We were very lucky this time and our crew on" Maersk Cadiz "is safe. However, the risk has reached a level where local governments and the international community must deal with the unacceptable situation, "says Palle Laursen, technical manager at Maersk, in the email.

On Twitter, Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen (S) writes that the attack emphasizes "the seriousness of the Gulf of Guinea".

"Therefore, reason to continue the Danish initiative to seek support from allies for joint maritime efforts in the area. The maritime security is important to fight for," she writes.

Denmark has taken the initiative to establish an international naval force. It is to patrol the Gulf of Guinea to protect international shipping. According to the media Maritime Denmark, the number of pirate attacks in the area has been rising sharply this year. Typically, pirates have tried to take crew members hostage when they have succeeded in infiltrating the ship. According to Danske Rederier's CEO, Anne H. Steffensen, 90 per cent. of the world's kidnappings at sea in the Gulf of Guinea. On November 7, pirates attacked the Danish tanker "Torm Alexandra" in the area.

No crew members were taken hostage. Italian Marines were subsequently able to liberate the ship and crew. The container ship "Maersk Cadiz" was on its way from Tema in Ghana to Kribi in Cameroon when it was attacked over the weekend. Nigerian naval and escort vessels arrived at the site on Sunday to help. "Maersk Cadiz" was built in 2013. It is 249 meters long and has a capacity of 4500 containers.