NEW YORK (dpa): Pirates have increased attacks against tankers in Africa's Gulf of Guinea, stealing oil cargoes and selling them to countries in the region, risk analysis firm AKE Group said on Thursday. The firm said eight vessels were attacked in February, raising the total number of vessels hijacked this year to 12, compared with the total of 64 for 2011, the firm said. It said pirates would seize tankers and transfer the oil cargoes to a Nigerian tanker by night for resale in Nigeria or other coastal countries like Benin and Cameroon. Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea operate differently from Somali pirates in Africa's east coast, who seize ships and crews in return for ransom money. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/xY8wQ Tags: Gulf of Guinea, Pirates Section: International, Latest News, West Africa