The Nigerian Navy on Tuesday said it intercepted and rescued Motor Tanker (MT) MONJASA REFORMER at about 0400 on Friday 31 March 2023 off the Island of Principe.
But last Friday, the Danish shipper that owns the vessel and the French Navy spoke on the hijacked ship, saying that the pirates boarded the Monjasa Reformer southwest of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, on March 25 and five days later, the French Navy that was patrolling the area, found the ship off the small island nation of Sao Tomé and Principe north of where it had been attacked.
It added that six members of the 16-man crew on the Liberia-flagged tanker are being held hostage by the pirates.
Nigerian Navy, in a statement by Naval Spokesperson, Commodore Adetotun Ayo-Vaughan, said: “MT MONJASA REFORMER with IMO number 9255878 was attacked and boarded by pirates on 25 March 2023 at about 2239 UTC in position 05:29.35 South – 009:34.00 East, around 144 nautical miles (nm) West-South-West of Pointe-Noire, Democratic Republic of Congo. At the time of the attack, the vessel was also about 95 nm off the Etame Terminal. The pirates using a skiff closed up, forcefully boarded the vessel and held 16 crew hostage.
“Upon receipt of the incident which was conveyed to the Nigerian Navy by the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Nigerian Navy swung into action. The Nigerian Navy surveillance infrastructure was used to search, locate and track the vessel despite the fact that the pirates disabled the Automatic Identification System and communication set onboard.
“It is imperative to state that the hijacked vessel is registered in Liberia but owned by Danish Monjasa Chartering III DMCC. The vessel arrived the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) on 14 February 2023 following its departure from Amsterdam and had visited Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and Gabon for petroleum products related trade before her hijack. It was observed that the pirates navigated the vessel northwards of the GoG passing Gabon and Cameroon on 28 and 29 March 2023 before heading to and arriving Sao Tome and Principe, off the Joint Development Zone on 30 March 2023.
“Commendably, the Nigerian Navy collaborated with the French Navy Ship, PREMIER-MAÎTRE L’HER, which was on patrol within the Gulf of Guinea (under the Coordinated Maritime Presence arrangement) and had sighted the hijacked vessel. As the vessel approached Nigeria maritime environment, the Nigerian Navy vectored her ship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA to intercept MT MONJASA REFORMER and rescue the crew members held hostage.
“Accordingly, NNS GONGOLA intercepted the hijacked Tanker, MONJASA REFORMER, adrift 76nm off the Island of Principe. However, it was discovered that the pirates had disembarked with 6 crew members to an unknown destination while underway in the Sao Tome and Principe Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Considering the need to secure the vessel and ensure her safe arrival to her destination, the Nigerian Navy deployed NNS KANO in company of the French Offshore Patrol Vessel to escort the vessel to Lome, Togo.
“MT MONJASA REFORMER arrived Lome, Togo, at about 1800 WAT on 1 April 2023. Efforts are being made by the Nigerian Navy, her strategic partners and other relevant agencies to track the pirates in order to ensure the safe release of the abductees.”
Meanwhile, last Friday, the Danish shipper that owns the vessel and the French Navy spoke on the hijacked ship, saying that six members of the 16-man crew on a Liberia-flagged tanker are being held hostage by the pirates.
It noted that the pirates boarded the Monjasa Reformer southwest of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, on March 25 and five days later, the French Navy that was patrolling the area, found the ship off the small island nation of Sao Tomé and Principe north of where it had been attacked.
In a statement, company spokesman Thorstein Andreasen said that “the pirates had abandoned the vessel and brought a part of the crew members with them.” It did not say how many had been kidnapped or how they were taken.
After the pirates had boarded the tanker, the crew sought refuge in a citadel – a safe area on the ship – in line with the onboard anti-piracy emergency protocol. However, the pirates somehow managed to take some of them hostage. The nationalities of the crew members has not been announced, nor were details given as to where they are being held.
The pirates later left the Monjasa Reformer, and a French Navy vessel, Premier Maître L´Her, received a message from the remaining crew that six people had been kidnapped. The French vessel rushed to scene and treated three people for minor injuries.
The company spokesman said the crew members not taken hostage “are all in good health and safely located in a secure environment and receiving proper attention following these dreadful events.”
No damage to the ship or its cargo has been reported, said Andreasen. He did not give further details.
The Gulf of Guinea is one of the world´s most dangerous spot for attacks on ships. In June, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution strongly condemning piracy, armed robbery and hostage-taking in the area. This hijacking took place further south in an area that is not typically attacked by pirates.
The Monjasa Reformer is used in West Africa as part of Monjasa´s global marine fuels operations and was carrying marine gas oil, very low sulphur fuel oil and high sulphur fuel oil products on board, the shipper said.
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