Pirates board German container ship and loot containers

22 March 2021

Ecuadorian news agency EXPRESO expreso.ec reported a piracy attack in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador on 6 March in the evening local time.

Container feeder PACORA left Guayaquil, bound for Balboa, and was boarded by armed robbers when the ship was passing buoy 66, shortly after the guards left her. They stayed on board for some 40 minutes, broke into 9 containers, apparently knowing what containers to open. They also seized a crew member who was in the bow area of the ship, taking his phone and radio. They left the ship near buoy 52, loading two boats with looted goods. The ship continued its voyage and the crew were reported to be safe.

A video shot by a crew member from the bridge and later obtained by EXPRESO can be viewed here.

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