by Tolu Orekoya

Pirates made a failed attempt to hijack an unnamed oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria, according to an internationl piracy watchdog.

The aborted boarding occurred on Saturday June 30, early in the morning, but none of the crew was injured and the vessel remained in their hands, said the London-based International Maritime Bureau.

The attempted boarding was carried out by six pirates who chased the tanker and shot at it. The name of the vesel and other details were left out of the brief report released by the watchdog.

According to AP, piracy in the has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts. Some believe and militants involved in fighting in Nigeria’s southern delta now take part in the piracy.