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Pirates take tanker in Gulf of Guinea, plus crewmen as hostages
来源：shippingazette 编辑：编辑部 发布：2023/04/14 15:00:21
THE joint French and British navy information centre, the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade - Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), has reported that the 13,700-dwt Danish owned Liberian-flagged tanker Monjasa Reformer was boarded far offshore in West Africa's Gulf Guinea and a number of crew were taken hostage.
But the number of incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery reported worldwide fell to its lowest recorded level in almost three decades last year, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau.
The 2003-built ship subsequently went missing but was later found by the French navy near Sao Tome and Principe. The pirates had abandoned the vessel, taking some of the crew with them as hostages.
The rescued crewmen are all said to be in good health and safely located in a secure environment and receiving proper attention, but the exact number of those kidnapped was not disclosed.
"Our thoughts are with the crew still missing and their families during this stressful period. Monjasa will continue working closely with the local authorities to support our seafarers' safe return to their families," the company said, adding that there was no damage to the vessel or its cargo.
The EOS Risk Group said the latest incident suggests it is likely another vessel was used to support the pirates. "Either a mothership was used to deploy a skiff, or a secondary tanker is in the vicinity to illegally offload the boarded vessel's cargo.
EOS Risk Group says latest boarding incident shows West African pirates' ability to conduct piracy further from shore. Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant, maintaining strict anti-piracy watch and measures.
The communication with the Monjasa Reformer was lost after it was attacked by armed pirates 140 nautical miles west of the Congo. The vessel was eventually located four days later 90 nautical miles south of Bonny, Nigeria, with six crew members missing.
The Gulf of Guinea had reduction in the number of piracy incidents and crew kidnappings, with 19 reported incidents in 2022, down from 35 the year before.
But the number of incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery reported worldwide fell to its lowest recorded level in almost three decades last year, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau.
The 2003-built ship subsequently went missing but was later found by the French navy near Sao Tome and Principe. The pirates had abandoned the vessel, taking some of the crew with them as hostages.
The rescued crewmen are all said to be in good health and safely located in a secure environment and receiving proper attention, but the exact number of those kidnapped was not disclosed.
"Our thoughts are with the crew still missing and their families during this stressful period. Monjasa will continue working closely with the local authorities to support our seafarers' safe return to their families," the company said, adding that there was no damage to the vessel or its cargo.
The EOS Risk Group said the latest incident suggests it is likely another vessel was used to support the pirates. "Either a mothership was used to deploy a skiff, or a secondary tanker is in the vicinity to illegally offload the boarded vessel's cargo.
EOS Risk Group says latest boarding incident shows West African pirates' ability to conduct piracy further from shore. Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant, maintaining strict anti-piracy watch and measures.
The communication with the Monjasa Reformer was lost after it was attacked by armed pirates 140 nautical miles west of the Congo. The vessel was eventually located four days later 90 nautical miles south of Bonny, Nigeria, with six crew members missing.
The Gulf of Guinea had reduction in the number of piracy incidents and crew kidnappings, with 19 reported incidents in 2022, down from 35 the year before.