A refueling ship with two Koreans on board was detained by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, and was released the next day after being deprived of oil.

According to South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on November 25th, contact was lost with a 5,700-ton class refueling vessel belonging to the SK Shipping Singapore corporation was 200 nautical miles (about 370 kilometers) south of Côte d'Ivoire in West.

It was around 11:55 a.m. on November 25th, the next day, that the tanker was able to be contacted again. It is understood that he was detained by pirates operating around the Gulf of Guinea, and released after his oil and cash were stolen. There are a total of 19 people on board, including a Korean captain and chief engineer, and 17 Indonesians, and it has been confirmed that there are currently no major problems with the safety of the crew.

"After the pirates disembarked, the captain contacted the shipping company," said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official. "The embassy requested an appropriate escort from the government of Cote d'Ivoire," the official said. With the recent rise in crude oil prices, oil tankers and other oil-carrying ships are expected to become new targets for pirates."