The Liberian-flagged ship, named Monjasa Reformer, was boarded by the pirates, who have not yet made any demands for the release of the 16 crew members, added the owners of the ship, which was conducting refueling operations in the area.
In general, the hijacking of merchant ships results in large sums of cash being demanded from the hijackers who carried out the embarkation, as was circulating in Brazzaville, the capital of that country, by the Congolese authorities.
The owners of the boat asked the authorities in the area and the boats that pass through the area to cooperate in gathering information.
The hijacking of the ship marks the return of pirates to the Gulf of Guinea after a hiatus of several months and the consequent decline in similar operations carried out by organized groups of raiders, mainly Nigerian nationals.
Available statistics show that there were 20 pirate attacks in 2022, 30 fewer than in 2021 and significantly fewer than the 115 in 2020.
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