Danish marine fuels supplier Monjasa, owner of tanker Monjasa Reformer, said on Tuesday all communications channels with the pirated vessel were down. The company was unable to provide further detail on Wednesday for security reasons, a spokesperson said.
The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer was boarded March 26 by five armed people some 225km west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire. All 16 crew sought refuge in a safe room aboard, according to the cooperation center.
Montec Ship Management, which operates the vessel, reported the incident to the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea, a cooperation center between the British and French navies to maintain safety in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Gulf of Guinea has become a global piracy hot spot in recent years, although cases have fallen there since 2021 as national authorities stepped up security efforts aided by foreign naval ships, according to the U.N. Security Council.
