The Greek ship Minerva Virgo, owned by Andreas Martinis, was attacked by pirates on Thursday afternoon in the sea area between Nigeria and Benin.

The ship has a crew of 22 people, including six Greeks. It had sailed from Amsterdam and headed for the Lagos in Nigeria, loaded with unleaded petrol.

Twenty-one of them (and the Greeks among them) managed to lock themselves in a specially designed security area, from which they issued an emergency signal. This area, which codenamed the “castle”, is located at the back of the ship and completely isolates those inside from the outside environment.

The fate of a Filipino crew member is not known.