Vessel Boarded by Armed Gang and Crew Abducted in the ‎Gulf of Guinea

Incident Details.It has been reported that the Chinese fishing vessel, LIANPENGYU 828, was boarded by armed pirates when operating at approximately 7 nautical miles SSW of Ekwata, Gabon inside Gabonese territorial waters. According to initial reports the pirates boarded the vessel and abducted 9 crew members (5 Chinese and 4 Indonesians). No further details are available at this time.

Fig1. Location of Incident  – 7nm South-Southwest of Ekwata, Gabon

Comment. This is the second fishing vessel boarded in this area in the last 12 months involving the abduction of crew members. In January 2025 the Gabonese trawler AMERGER 7 was boarded resulting in 3 crew members being kidnapped by unidentified perpetrators. The kidnapped fishermen were released in February 2025. It is unclear if a ransom was paid for their release.

Assessment. It is likely this vessel was targeted because it was fishing illegally inside Gabonese territorial waters. It is also likely the crew have been taken for ransom. We assess this is an opportunistic event carried out by locals and unlikely to be connected to recent piracy incidents further north involving commercial shipping transiting waters adjacent to Equatorial Guinea. However, ships are reminded to remain vigilant when operating in the area and to comply with the guidance given in BMP-Maritime Security.