A Stolt-Nielsen chemical tanker sustained minor damages over the weekend after armed guards aboard Stolt Apal and pirates engaged in a brief gun battle while the vessel was underway in the Gulf of Aden.
Confirming the incident to Offshore Energy, Stolt-Nielsen said that bullets damaged the ship’s bridge, however, no injuries were reported.
The UK-flagged ship was attacked by pirates on Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 11:50 UTC in the Gulf of Aden, about 75 nm south of Yemen, the company said.
“Stolt Apal was approached by two skiffs running at high speed with six armed pirates. After multiple warning shots were fired by the armed guard team aboard Stolt Apal, the skiffs opened fire on the ship. The armed guard team returned fire, disabling one skiff and ending the pursuit,” the company said in a statement.
As informed, there was no pollution and no cargo impacted on Stolt Apal. A coalition warship responded to the incident and Stolt Apal has resumed its voyage.
According to Dryad Global, this is the 9th reported incident within the Gulf of Aden within 2020.