The Danish Liberian-flagged tanker attacked in the Gulf of Guinea on March 25 was located and rescued off the coast of Sao Tome and Principe, but part of the crew was kidnapped, its owner said on Friday.
The Monjasa Reformer was located by the French Navy on Thursday, but only some of the 16 crew members were still on board, the Monjasa company said in a statement.
When the French soldiers arrived, “the pirates had abandoned the ship and taken some crew members with them,” explained the Danish shipowner.
“The other rescued crew members are in good health and in a safe environment,” he said.
The shipowner did not provide information on the number of hostages and their nationality. When asked by AFP, the company, based in Fredericia, Denmark, did not want to give any details.
“Our hearts go out to the crew members who are still missing and their families at this stressful time,” Monjasa said in his statement, adding “working closely with local authorities” to secure the sailors’ return.
No damage was found to the boat or fuel cargo.
The 135-meter-long ship was attacked about 140 nautical miles off the Congolese port of Pointe-Noire on Saturday evening.
The shipping company only announced the attack on Tuesday, after three days without any news from the crew.
The latter had had time to indicate that he had taken refuge in an anti-piracy “citadel” on the ship before contact was severed.
Since then, research has been carried out in this sector of the eastern Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf has emerged as the main black spot for global piracy in recent years, but attacks have declined significantly over the past two years.