Libreville, March 29, 2023 (AGP)- Pirates attacked the ship ”Monjasa Reformer”, a Danish tanker under the Liberian flag, last weekend at 138 nautical miles west of the port of Pointe-Noire, the economic capital of Congo-Brazzaville, in international waters.
After the attack on the ship, reported at 22:39 GMT, which took place last weekend, in the evening, the owner of the ship ”Monjasa Reformer” indicated ” the entire crew took to safety in the ship’s citadel (armoured refuge). The ship was immobilized with 16 crew members on board.
This boat, a maritime supply vessel, 134 meters long and with a capacity of 13,700 tonnes, lost all communication with its company. According to an official of the Port of Pointe-Noire contacted by AFP, ” These are three men who have taken hostage and since then the crew has not been contactable. »
The shipowner, which employs 568 people worldwide, also claimed in a statement that it had not heard from Saturday evening, without mentioning whether or not the crew was taken hostage. ” THE
Communications are currently down and we are working with local authorities to establish communication and understand the situation on board. “, he added. He also indicated that he had no additional information, in particular on the nationalities of the sailors. According to the Danish press, they are not nationals of the Nordic country.
The head of the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia, Noël Choong, told AFP that a ” notice of missing vessel has been issued for passing boats to report to us if they encounter it “. Besides, Noel Choong also claimed, “ We encourage coastal authorities with resources to help us. We need regional cooperation. »
As a reminder, the sea route bordering countries rich in hydrocarbons, the Gulf of Guinea, which extends over 5,700 kilometers between Senegal and Angola, was for several years the new epicenter of world piracy. But the efforts made between coastal countries and European states have so far reduced these attacks. The hijacking of this ship took place in an area not usually attacked by pirates.
AGM/AL/LNL/CEM-AGP (Africanews)
