Pirates have seized a Greek-owned oil tanker1 and its 24 crew off the coast of Togo, a maritime2 group reports.
一家海事组织报道，海盗在多哥海域劫持了一艘希腊油轮，船上有24名船员。
The attackers exchanged fire with a Togolese patrol boat but escaped on the tanker, the International Maritime Bureau says.
Piracy3 is said to be increasing in West Africa, with six ships seized in 2012.
Ships are usually held for several days and the
cargo4 transferred to a waiting tanker, before the crew of the original ship is freed.
This is a different method to that used by Somali pirates, who demand a
ransom5 for the ships they capture and often keep both
vessels6 and crew for many months until they are paid.
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