Hijacked tanker recovered but missing some crew members – Reuters

Pirates have abandoned the bunker tanker Monjasa Reformer, but have taken some crew members hostage, Reuters reports.

PHOTO: The Monjasa Reformer. Monjasa

The Monjasa Reformer was missing since Saturday after some pirates hijacked the vessel around 140 nautical miles (nm) off Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo.

The missing tanker was found after authorities received a distress signal, which helped in locating the vessel, UK-based maritime security firm EOS Risk said today. The distress signal location was recorded about 90 nm off Bony in Nigeria, it added.

The Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) authority has issued a piracy threat warning in the area.

Some crew members on the Monjasa Reformer have been taken hostage by pirates and are still unaccounted for, while the tanker and rest of the crew members have been brought to safety, Reuters reports.

The Monjasa Reformer has recently supplied VLSFO in Lagos.

By Nithin Chandran

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online