Pirates attacked a Liberian tanker, Monjasa Reformer, on March 25, taking six of the 16 crew members hostage. The ship was boarded to the southwest of Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, but was found by the French Navy five days later off the island of Sao Tome and Principe, further north than the attack.

The spokesperson for the Danish company that owns the vessel, Thorstein Andreasen, confirmed that the pirates had abandoned the tanker after taking some crew members with them. However, it remains unclear how the hostages were taken, their nationalities, and their location.

According to reports, after the pirates boarded the vessel, the crew made their way to the citadel, a safe area established under the anti-piracy emergency protocol, but several members were taken hostage.

Following the attack, the remaining crew contacted a French Navy vessel to report the abduction of six members. The French Navy immediately dispatched a team to the scene and provided medical care to three crew members who had sustained minor injuries. Meanwhile, the company reported that the other crew members were in good condition and were receiving appropriate care in a secure environment.

Andreasen also confirmed that the ship and its cargo had not suffered any damage. The Monjasa Reformer was carrying various oil products, including marine gas oil and sulphur fuel oil, and was part of Monjasa’s global marine fuels operations in West Africa.

This is not the first incident of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, though this attack happened further south than usual. The region is infamous for piracy, and the United Nations Security Council has already adopted a resolution condemning such crimes in the area.