At least 12 crew members have reportedly been kidnapped after pirates stormed a European gas tanker.

The Portugal -flagged LPG carrier was attacked off Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of Africa early on Monday.

The 2003-built CGas Saturn, owned by Denmark’s Christiania Gas, was heading towards Malabo, the country's capital, when the assault took place about 50 nautical miles west of Mbini, security company Vanguard said.

Four crew members were left onboard, with one reportedly injured by a presumed stray bullet, reports maritime outlet Splash 247 .

Last year, around 116 ships were attacked worldwide by pirates, according to research by Statista . The data suggests that attacks are becoming less common after peaking in 2010 with about 445 reported incidents.

The Gulf of Gui

See Full Page