Pirates, which hijacked Monjasa Reformer, a Danish-owned ship last week in the Gulf of Guinea have abandoned the vessel, but, not without taking some crew members with them while others have been brought to safety.
The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker had 16 crew members on board when it was boarded by five-armed people about 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo’s Port Pointe-Noire, the vessel owner disclosed.
The ship subsequently went missing, but was later located by the French navy off Sao Tome and Principe, Monjasa said in a statement.
The Monjasa Shipping Company has however declined to disclose the number of crew members still being held by the pirates.
“Our thoughts are with the crew members still missing and their families during this stressful period. Monjasa will continue working closely with the local authorities to support our seafarers safe return to their families,” the company said.
The company said the rescued crew members are all in good health and are receiving proper attention in a secure environment.
There was no damage reported to the ship or its cargo, Monjasa said.
