The owner of the oil tanker "Svend Steinberg Molholt" indicated that the French Navy escorted his vessel to a port in the Gulf of Guinea on Friday after pirates abandoned it, having kidnapped some of its crew members. He confirmed that all rescued crew members are in good health and will be returned to Lome in Togo. He noted that the company is still waiting for contact from the abductors and is working with external experts to consider various possibilities when that occurs. The company did not specify the number of crew members who were kidnapped.
The oil and chemical tanker "Monisha Reformar," flying the Liberian flag, had 16 crew members on board and was attacked by five armed assailants this week, approximately 140 miles west of Pointe-Noire port in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Danish shipping company Monisha, which owns the vessel, stated on Friday that the abductors left the ship late last night but took some crew members with them.
