The search for the six crew members of the 'Monjasa Reformer', taken hostage off the coast of West Africa, was going on. The hostage taking has raised concerns about a revival of piracy that had witnessed a brief lull over the past year and is a sobering reminder that this region is still plagued by piracy. The rescued crew members are all in good health and safely located in a secure environment and receiving proper attention. No damage was reported to the ship or the cargo of marine gas oil and sulphur fuel oil products it was carrying. The crew had alerted the management that pirates had boarded the vessel on the night of March 25. All sailors took refuge in the citadel, a designated safe area within a ship, in keeping with anti-piracy emergency protocols. The French Navy’s aerial drone located the vessel on March 30 and also recorded the presence of a pirate boat alongside the ship. When the naval patrol vessel began approaching the ship, another reconnaissance flight showed the pirate ship was no longer alongside the tanker. The crew still on board indicated that six of its members were kidnapped by pirates.
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MONJASA REFORMER
The 'Monjasa Reformer' has been found, but three of the 16 crew members have been kidnapped by the pirates. The ship was located by the French navy 91 nautical miles from the island state of Sao Tome & Principe in the Gulf of Guinea in the night, of March 30. At this point the pirates had left the ship and taken some of the crew members with them. The remaining crew members were all in good health and safe and receiving appropriate treatment. Monjasa continued to work closely with the local authorities to ensure that the abducted sailors can return home safely to their families. Monjasa thanked the French Navy and all other parties for their assistance. The tanker was boarded by pirates off Pointe Noir in the Congo on March 25.
ASMAA Z
The 'Jie Shun Da' was boarded by a perpetrator, while transiting the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait in pos. 01 16 16N 104 12 30 E on April 2, 2023, at 3.45 p.m. The duty crew spotted him and raised the alarm, which caused the perpetrator to flee the vessel and escape. There were no reports of anything being stolen, and the crew was safe.
MONJASA REFORMER
The 'Monjasa Reformer' was spotted about 540 miles offshore on March 28, according to a maritime cooperation center that monitors security in the area, after having been boarded by five armed pirates about 140 miles west of Port Pointe-Noire. All 16 crew members had sought refuge in th citadel. The Danish marine fuel supplier Monjasa, owner of the tanker, said on March 28 that all communication channels with the ship had been lost. The company was unable to provide further details on March 29 for security reasons. It reported the incident to the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade - Gulf of Guinea (GOG-MDAT), a center of cooperation between the British and French navies to maintain security in the Gulf of Guinea.
MONJASA REFORMER
After the French naval ship FS 'Premier Maître L’Her' located the missing tanker by means of an aerial drone en route to the coast of Nigeria, a smaller vessel, believed to belong to the pirates, departed from the scene, taking six members of the crew with them. The 'Monjasa Reformer' by this stage was about 90 nautical miles south of Bonny. A doctor and nurse have boarded the tanker to provide any necessary treatment for the remaining crew. Meanwhile, the Nigerian naval ship NS 'Gongola' also arrived to provide any necessary assistance and support and to escort the tanker to the port of Lomé. A warning has now gone out from the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) to all mariners in the region to be extra vigilant and to exercise extreme caution while transiting the area. Report with photo: https://africaports.co.za/#6628