Nigerian Navy Ship NNS Gongola has intercepted and rescued Motor Tanker (MT) Monjasa Reformer with 10 of 16 its crew members.
The feat was achieved on Friday, 3st1 March, 2023, off the Island of Principe.
A statement by the director of Information Naval Headquarters, Commodore Adedotun Olukayode Ayo-Vaughan, said pirates left the vessel with six of the crew members when the Nigerian Navy Ship intercepted it.
He said vessel with IMO number 9255878 was attacked and boarded by pirates on 25th March, 2023 at about 2239 UTC in position 05:29.35 South – 009:34.00 East, around 144 nautical miles (nm) West-South-West of Pointe-Noire, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ayo-Vaughan said the vessel was also about 95 nm off the Etame Terminal at the time of the attack.
He said the pirates using a skiff closed up, forcefully boarded the vessel and held 16 crew hostage, adding that upon receipt of the incident which was conveyed to the Nigerian Navy by the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the Nigerian Navy swung into action.
“The Nigerian Navy surveillance infrastructure was used to search, locate and track the vessel despite the fact that the pirates disabled the Automatic Identification System and communication set onboard,” he said.
He said the hijacked vessel is registered in Liberia but owned by Danish Monjasa Chartering III DMCC.
He said the vessel arrived the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) on 14th February, 2023, following its departure from Amsterdam and had visited Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and Gabon for petroleum products related trade before her hijack.
The director stated that the pirates navigated the vessel northwards of the GoG passing Gabon and Cameroon on 28 and 29 March 2023 before heading to and arriving Sao Tome and Principe, off the Joint Development Zone on 30 March, 2023.
Therefore, the Nigerian Navy collaborated with the French Navy Ship, PREMIER-MAÎTRE L’HER, which was on patrol within the Gulf of Guinea (under the Coordinated Maritime Presence arrangement) and had sighted the hijacked vessel.
He said as the vessel approached Nigeria maritime environment, “the Nigerian Navy vectored her ship, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) GONGOLA to intercept MT Monjasa Reformer and rescued the crew members held hostage.
“Accordingly, NNS Gongola intercepted the hijacked Tanker, MONJASA REFORMER, adrift 76nm off the Island of Principe.
“However, it was discovered that the pirates had disembarked with 6 crew members to an unknown destination while underway in the Sao Tome and Principe Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” he said.
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