A European reefer has escaped a possible pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea on January 11, after it was approached by two skiffs.

The Lithuania-flagged ship was heading for Douala, Cameroon, when it reported being approached by two skiffs.

The incident took place about 24 nautical miles north-west of Neves in Sao Tome and Principe.

When the two skiffs were seen by the crew, the ship took evasive action, and turned west towards the Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone (JDZ), while at the same time increasing speed to 15 knots.

The manoeuvre was successful, as after this, the skiffs disengaged their approach.

After that, the vessel maintained an elevated speed for an hour and continued on course towards the JDZ.

All of the crew members and the vessel are safe.