2 ships attacked in piracy-hit Gulf of Guinea

Two ships were attacked this week in the piracy-hit Gulf of Guinea marking the worsening security situation in the oil-rich waters off West Africa, according to reports monitored here on Thursday. One of the vessels is the MT Ocean Centurion, a Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker, which was attacked on Tuesday off the coast of Togo, local security sources disclosed. The pirates robbed crew members of cash and personal belongings before they were released, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Gabonese Navy reported an attack on oil tanker with 24 crew on board off the coast of the Central African country. The Cotton, a Maltese-flagged tanker, was seized on Monday off Gabon's Port Gentil.