Pirates attacked the DAVIDE B tanker off the coast of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea, with fifteen crew members reported as captured, the Splash reported.

The crew of the vessel of 21 people includes citizens of Ukraine, Romania and the Philippines. It is noted that another six sailors are safe and sound and remain on the ship. Security personnel also arrived onboard.

According to maritime safety consultancy Dryad Global, the 2016-built 19,800 dwt tanker Davide B, operated by Dutch company De Poli Shipmanagement, has been boarded by nine armed men.

According to the FleetMon ezine, DAVIDE B is a 2016 built chemical tanker which was on a commercial voyage from Riga, Latvia to Lagos, Nigeria. The vessel is flying the Maltese flag.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine informed the Interfax-Ukraine agency that they are verifying this information.