Pirates attempt to board tanker off Nigeria

Pirates off the coast of Nigeria's commercial capital of Lagos have attacked a chemical tanker in an unsuccessful bid to board and rob the ship in the Gulf of Guinea.

A report by the International Maritime Bureau shows the failed attack happened Thursday about 3 nautical miles off the coast. Three people aboard a green fast boat approached the tanker at anchor and fired their weapons in the air.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press Monday, says the robbers demanded that the gangway be lowered, but that the shipmaster refused and moved away from the anchorage. It says the crew is safe, and pirates did not board.

Pirate attacks have risen around Nigeria in recent years. They mostly occur off the port of Lagos.