After an extended period of comparative calm, a ship has been boarded in the highly risky waters of the Gulf of Guinea. The Liberian-flagged product tanker, Monjasa Reformer, owned by Danish bunker supplier Monjasa, was attacked on Saturday night offshore Congo.
, owned by Danish bunker supplier Monjasa, was attacked on Saturday night offshore Congo.The 2003-built 13,700 dwt ship, managed by Montec Ship Management, was sitting idle some 140 nautical miles (260 km) west of Port Pointe-Noire when the incident took place. Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea corporation centre (MDAT-GoG) reported that five armed persons approached the vessel in a speedboat.
Montec was notified by the crew that pirates had boarded the tanker. All 16 seafarers were secured inside the ship’s citadel, and Montec is working with all relevant maritime authorities in the region, including several local and international navies. Maritime security consultants Ambrey said it understands that the French Navy has been assisting with the search.
“On board communications channels are currently down and we are working with the local authorities to establish communication to understand the situation on board and provide all the support needed by the crew to overcome these dreadful events, Monjasa said in a statement.
“Monjasa will keep working closely with Montec Ship Management and the authorities during this difficult situation and in the aftermath. All our thoughts are with the crew and relatives in these hours.”
An overall decrease in incidents was recorded in the Gulf of Guinea last year – down from 35 in 2021 to 19 in 2022, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The Monjasa Reformer is currently carrying marine gasoil, very low sulphur fuel oil, high sulphur fuel oil products on board. There are no reports of damage to the ship or cargo.
