Monjasa oil tanker boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea
Pirates have boarded the Liberian-flagged bunker/cargo tanker, Monjasa Reformer, which has 16 crew members onboard. Monjasa has told Bunkerspot that onboard communication channels are currently down, and the company is working with local authorities to re-establish communication and ascertain the situation onboard.
The incident took place on 25 March at 22:38 UTC some 140 nautical miles west of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo. The 13,700 DWT vessel is owned by Monjasa and managed by Montec Ship Management. At the time of the boarding by pirates, the tanker was sitting idle.
In a statement sent to Bunkerspot, Monjasa said that the Monjasa Reformer’s crew had notified Montec of the situation and had taken refuge inside the citadel in line with onboard anti-piracy emergency protocol.
Montec Ship Management reported the incident to the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade - Gulf of Guinea corporation centre (MDAT-GoG) and is said to be working with maritime authorities in the region, including several local and international navies.
Monjasa noted that: ‘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.
The company noted that it has an anti-piracy policy in place which details measures to be taken both during and after a possible assault.
The Monjasa Reformer is employed in West Africa in support of Monjasa’s global marine fuels operations. It is currently carrying Marine Gas Oil, Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil, High Sulphur Fuel Oil products on board.
Monjasa added that there are no reports of damage to the ship or cargo.
