An oil tanker that has disappeared off the coast of West Africa may have been hijacked by pirates, potentially marking the most southerly such attack to date in increasingly dangerous waters off African oil hubs Nigeria and Angola .

The MT Kerala, a Liberian-flagged tanker carrying fuel oil, is owned by Dynacom Tankers. A person working for Dynacom in Athens said that the company hasn't had any contact with the vessel since Friday afternoon.

"We don't know if the vessel has been hijacked--it is a suspected hijack," said the person, who didn't want to give his name.

Dryad Maritime Intelligence, a U.K.-based shipping intelligence firm, said that it had warned of a "suspect vessel operating off the Angolan coast" in the days leading up to the MT Kerala's disappearance.

If confirmed, this would mark the most southerly hijacking in the waters off West Africa for the purposes of refined product cargo theft, according to Dryad.

Piracy is on the decline in some areas, notably off the coast of Somalia . According to the International Maritime Bureau just 15 incidents were reported off Somalia last year, down from 75 in 2012 and 237 in 2011.

One reason for the fall is an increase in the number of armed guards on ships in the region, after the scale of Somali piracy led to the development of a more organized security industry.

But attacks off the coast of West Africa have increased, accounting for 19% of attacks worldwide last year, according to the IMB.

Nigerian pirates and armed robbers accounted for 31 of the region's 51 attacks, they said. A total of 49 people were taken hostage and 36 kidnapped, more than in any year since 2008.

In October, two American crew members were held and then released after an attack on a U.S.-flagged oil-services ship off the coast of Nigeria .

"This is a worrying development in West African maritime crime," said Ian Millen, director of intelligence at Dryad Maritime.

"We have been watching Nigeria-based pirates launch an increasing number of attacks on vessels in areas not normally associated with piracy of late," said Mr. Millen. "If substantiated, this latest incident demonstrates a significant extension of the reach of criminal groups and represents a threat to shipping in areas that were thought to be safe."

The IMB also noted that Nigerian pirates have been venturing further afield, into waters off Gabon , Ivory Coast and Togo . If the latest hijacking is confirmed, it will mark the venturing into Angolan waters as well.
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