Ship seized by pirates seen 540 miles west from Gulf of Guinea attack point

(Reuters) – A Danish-owned vessel that was boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday was spotted about 540 miles further off shore on Tuesday, according to a maritime cooperation centre monitoring security in the area.

The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer was boarded by five armed people some 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo’s Port Pointe-Noire. All 16 crew sought refuge in a safe room aboard, according to the cooperation centre.

Danish marine fuels supplier Monjasa, owner of Monjasa Reformer, said on Tuesday all communications channels with the vessel were down. The company was unable to provide further detail on Wednesday for security reasons, a spokesperson said.

Montec Ship Management, which operates the vessel, reported the incident to the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (GOG-MDAT), a cooperation centre 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.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, William Maclean)