Six crew members, who were kidnapped by pirates from Monjasa Reformer, an oil and chemical tanker, in the Gulf of Guinea in late March have been rescued from an undisclosed location in Nigeria.
This was confirmed on Monday by the ship’s owner, Monjasa.
In a statement, Monjasa CEO; Anders Ostergaard expressed relief, stating that, “All recovered crew members are in relatively good health considering the challenging circumstances they endured over the past five weeks and more.”
Following their rescue, the crew members underwent thorough medical examinations and are now in the process of being repatriated to their respective home countries and reuniting with their families, Ostergaard further informed.
“Looking ahead, Monjasa urges for safe passage routes and safe zones in the Gulf of Guinea under an international coalition and we will gladly put our experience and knowledge into play as we continue working with our partners, authorities and fellow shipowners for a safe working environment for all seafarers,” the company said.
The crew members were abducted by pirates during an attack on their ship, the Monjasa Reformer, in the Gulf of Guinea on March 25.
The Danish-owned ship was sailing under the Liberian flag.
“All recovered crew members are in a relatively good health condition given the difficult circumstances they have been under, in the last more than five weeks.
“They have all been receiving medical checks and are now being repatriated to their home countries to reunite with their families.”
Among the freed crew members were two Lithuanian sailors, born in 1958 and 1995, according to the Lithuanian Government.
The 135-metre oil and chemical tanker was 260 kilometres west of the port of Pointe-Noire in Congo at the time it was attacked.
16 crew members were on board during the attack, of whom 10 were left aboard the ship, which was abandoned by the pirates and recovered by the French navy on March 30.
According to the company statement, the remaining six were taken ashore by the pirates and held in an undisclosed location in Nigeria, before being freed.
The company praised the bravery of the kidnapped crew members and thanked their families for their patience and resilience.
Monjasa Reformer is utilized in West Africa as part of Monjasa’s marine fuels operations worldwide, transporting marine gas oil, very low sulfur fuel oil, and high sulfur fuel oil products on its vessel.
Follow us on Facebook/ twitter
