The six seafarers kidnapped off a Monjasa product tanker in March have been recovered.
The marine fuels trader and shipowner said on Monday that the crew members were freed from an undisclosed location in Nigeria following an attack on the 13,700-dwt Monjasa Reformer (built 2003) on 25 March.
Monjasa chief executive Anders Ostergaard said the seafarers were in “relatively” good health following their five-week ordeal.
“They have all been receiving medical checks and are now being repatriated to their home countries to reunite with their families,” he said.
“We are immensely grateful for the support received from our professional advisors, navies and authorities and to all others who have helped us resolve this awful situation.”
The Monjasa Reformer was boarded roughly 260 km (160 miles) off Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo.
The ship, with 16 crew members on board, was missing for several days until it was spotted by the French Navy off Sao Tome & Principe on 30 March.
Monjasa said the pirates had left 10 crew members and brought the other six to Nigeria.
The company said it admires the bravery of the crew members involved and thanked their families for their patience during the kidnapping.
It said the ship had abided by the company’s anti-piracy emergency protocol.
It also argued that without political action, piracy would continue to be an issue and advocated for safe passage routes and safe zones enforced by an international coalition.
‘Piracy hot spot’
The Monjasa Reformer incident was the first in a recent string of attacks in West Africa, which was considered the world’s global piracy hot spot before incidents fell off in mid-2021.
The attack on the product tanker was followed by a second incident, when Hai Soon Diesel & Trading’s 6,100-dwt Success 9 (built 2003) was boarded 556 km off Ivory Coast on 10 April.
The ship was missing for six days, but the crew was ultimately safe.
On 2 May, the captain, second mate and third mate were kidnapped from Eagle Bulk’s 57,800-dwt Grebe Bulker (built 2010) while anchored offshore Gabon.
