Pirates with nationality not immediately known have boarded a Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker, Danish owned, operated by Dubai-based Montec Ship Management, with 16 crew members, in West Africa’s waters, at about 140 nautical miles west of the Republic of the Congo’s Port Pointe Noire. The crew sought refuge in a safe area on the ship. Communication channels with the ship are down. The incident was reported to a maritime cooperation center operated by the British and French navies to maintain safety in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Monjasa Reformer vessel is 135-meter long. The operator is working now with all relevant maritime authorities in the region, including several navies. The Gulf of Guinea has become a global piracy hotspot in recent years and pirates are looking into new areas of operations.. The exact location of the tanker is not known. The last position was transmitted Sunday. The Monjasa Reformer is employed in West Africa as part of Monjasa’s global marine fuels operations and is currently carrying marine gas oil, very low sulphur fuel oil, high sulphur fuel oil products on board.
