丹麦燃料公司Monjasa报告称，五个多星期前在几内亚湾被绑架的六名船员已被找到。

Monjasa在表示钦佩船员的勇敢的同时，也利用这一宣布再次呼吁采取政治行动，应对西非海盗的持续威胁。

该公司表示，从Monjasa Reformer号上被绑架的所有六名船员现在都“从尼日利亚一个秘密地点安全找到”，“鉴于他们所处的困难环境，他们的健康状况相对良好”。

该公司没有提供船员何时获释的细节，也没有就是否支付了赎金发表评论。

Monjasa只表示，安全事件已于5月8日结束。

这艘名为Monjasa Reformer(13700载重吨)的油轮于3月25日被登上，当时该油轮在刚果黑角港(Port point - noire)约140海里处闲置，受雇于西非，作为该公司海洋燃料业务的一部分。

该船失踪后，安全部队开始在整个地区进行搜索，五天后，法国海军无人机在几内亚湾的圣多美和普林西比附近找到了这艘船。

当法国巡逻艇“Premier Maitre L’Her”号抵达油轮所在位置时，海盗已经带着船上16名船员中的6人逃离。

该船及其剩余船员被护送到安全地带。

Monjasa集团首席执行官安德斯Østergaard表示:“我们非常感谢我们的专业顾问、海军和当局以及所有帮助我们解决这一可怕局面的人的支持。”他说，船员们都不是丹麦人，“都接受了医疗检查，现在正被遣返回国，与家人团聚。”

安全部门强调，该地区海盗活动的威胁在去年大幅减少后有所增加。

随着国际部队加强在该地区的巡逻，以及尼日利亚展开新的安全行动，绑架和袭击船只的事件急剧减少。

Monjasa Reformer号船员被绑架是2023年的第一起绑架事件，尽管上周Eagle Bulk Ship Management公司管理的散货船Grebe Bulker上也发生了三名船员被绑架的事件。

该船被登船时，正停泊在加蓬附近，据信包括船长在内的三名海员被绑架。

最近还发生了其他袭击事件，特别是针对油轮的袭击，海盗偷走了货物，但没有试图带走船员。

该公司在声明中表示：“不幸的是，这起事件以及最近在几内亚湾发生的其他类似劫持事件清楚地表明，需要采取联合国际政治行动，一劳永逸地解决这些问题。”

“Monjasa敦促在国际联盟下建立安全通道和安全区，我们将继续与我们的合作伙伴、当局和其他船东合作，为所有海员创造安全的工作环境。”

Monjasa在这个危险地区有着悠久的活动历史，这并不是第一次遇到海盗。

2018年10月，租赁给Norbulk Shipping的Monjasa油轮Anuket Amber(9500载重吨)也在黑角港附近的同一地区遭到袭击。

当天被劫持的“安努基特琥珀”号船员和“方舟号”拖船也被劫持为人质。

两艘船上的12名船员在两个多月后的2019年1月获释。

▲2023年3月下旬，“蒙贾萨改革者”号在西非刚果外海登船(蒙贾萨资料照片)

英文原文

Danish fuel company Monjasa reports that the six crewmembers kidnapped more than five weeks ago in the Gulf of Guinea have been recovered. 

While saying that it admires the bravery of its crew, Monjasa also used the announcement to again call for political action to address the continuing threat of piracy in West Africa.

The company said that all six crewmembers who were kidnapped from the Monjasa Reformer are now “safely recovered from an undisclosed location in Nigeria,” and that they were in “relatively good health condition given the difficult circumstances they have been under.” 

The company did not offer details on when the crew were released and did not comment if a ransom had been paid. 

Monjasa only said that the security incident was concluded on May 8.

The vessel, the Monjasa Reformer (13,700 dwt) was boarded on March 25 while sitting idle approximately 140 nautical miles off Port Pointe-Noire, Congo while employed in West Africa as part of the company’s marine fuel operations. 

The vessel went missing with security forces starting a search across the region before it was located five days later off Sao Tomé & Principe in the Gulf of Guinea by a French navy drone. By the time the French patrol boat Premier Maitre L’Her was able to reach the tanker’s location the pirates had fled with six of the 16 crewmembers aboard the vessel. 

The vessel and its remaining crew were escorted to safety.

“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,” said Anders Østergaard, CEO of Monjasa Group. He reported that the crew, none of whom are Danes, “have all been receiving medical checks and are now being repatriated to their home countries to reunite with their families.”

Security services are highlighting an increased threat of piracy activity in the region after a strong decrease last year. 

Kidnappings and attacks on vessels declined dramatically as international forces increased patrols in the region and Nigeria launched new security efforts. 

The kidnapping of the crew from the Monjasa Reformer was the first abduction incident in 2023 although it has been followed last week by three crew members being taken from the Grebe Bulker, a bulker vessel managed by Eagle Bulk Ship Management. 

That vessel was lying off Gabon when the vessel was boarded and the three seafarers, believed to include the captain of the vessel, were kidnapped. 

There have been other recent attacks, especially on tankers where the pirates have stolen cargo but not attempted to take the crewmembers.

“Unfortunately, this and other recent and similar hijackings in the Gulf of Guinea clearly demonstrates the need for joint international political action to face these issues once and for all,” the company said in its statement.

“Monjasa urges for safe passage routes and safe zones under an international coalition and we will continue working with our partners, authorities, and fellow shipowners for a safe working environment for all seafarers.”

Monjasa has a long history of operating in this dangerous region and this is not the first experience with piracy. 

In October 2018, the Monjasa tanker Anuket Amber (9,500 dwt) operating under charter to Norbulk Shipping was also attacked in the same general vicinity near Port Pointe-Noire.

 The crew from the Anuket Amber along with an anchor handling tug the Ark Tze which was also boarded the same day were taken hostage by the pirates. 

The 12 crewmembers from the two vessels were released more than two months later in January 2019.

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