Monjasa confirmed the attack on its Monjasa Reformer product tanker in a statement released 28 March.
The company said the 16 crew on board the ship, managed by Montec Ship Management, alerted the management firm about the boarding, telling Montec all crew on board had been secured inside the vessel’s citadel after following the vessel’s anti-piracy emergency protocol.
No further communication with the crew has been reported, and Monjasa said, "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."
Following the alert of the attack from the ship’s crew, Montec reported the incident to the joint British-French naval maritime response centre Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) and is said to be collaborating with regional maritime authorities "including several local and international navies".
MDAT-GoG reported the vessel had been boarded by five armed perople who approached the vessel from a skiff. When the vessel was boarded, it was sitting idle about 140 nautical miles west of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, in the Gulf of Guinea, according to Monjasa, and MDAT-GOG have advised mariners in the region to exercise caution.
Monjasa said its 13,700-dwt Monjasa Reformer is employed in West Africa as part of the company’s global marine fuels operations and is currently carrying marine gas oil, very low sulphur fuel oil and high sulphur fuel oil products.
There are no reports of damage to the ship or cargo to date, and MDAT-GOG reported a sighting of the vessel 28 March, requesting masters in the vicinity of the sighting’s co-ordinates (0409S, 00146E) to be aware and report any further sightings of the vessel. The 2003-built vessel’s livery is black-hulled with a black funnel and an orange logo.
Source: Riviera
