The Russian military rescued a container ship and its crew from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea. The boat was en route to Cameroon at the time of the attack.

An attack by pirates on the container ship MSC Lucia off the coast of Nigeria was foiled thanks to the intervention of a Russian warship. The Russian Navy responded quickly after intercepting a distress message from the Panama-registered container ship off West Africa. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, “the “MSC” Lucia was en route to Cameroon from Togo when it sent a distress call on Monday which was picked up by the Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov”. A Ka-27PS troop transport helicopter with a group of Russian marine infantry on board was immediately dispatched to the scene of the accident,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. As the helicopter approached, the pirates left the ship and disappeared at high speed aboard a speedboat. This immediate escape from the pirates enabled the Russian military to free the crew of the ship who was being held captive.