A second vessel was attacked off the coast of Togo, just south of Lome. The piracy report says that 26 robbers in two boats came alongside the chemical tanker and attempted to board it using portable ladders and ropes. The ship's master raised the alarm, mustered the crew and fought off the robbers.
The group had attempted to board another vessel prior to the attack.
Michael Howlett, deputy director of the bureau's commercial crime services says that there were two incidents and one ship
was hijacked. It has warned that the Gulf of Guinea - and the West African coastline - could become a new hotspot for pirates.
The bureau says that so far this year there have been 326 vessels attacked and 33 hijacked. Somali pirates have attempted to hijack 186 vessels and are currently holding 301 people hostage from the 16 vessels they still control.
