Danish Shipping is calling for a new approach to tackling West African piracy after the boarding of a Monjasa bunker tanker in the region.
The 13,700-dwt Danish ship Monjasa Reformer (built 2003) has been spotted 470 nautical miles (870 km) from the spot where it was attacked by pirates on Saturday night, with no contact yet established.
It was boarded 260 km off Pointe Noir, Republic of the Congo, but was sighted off Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday.
Anne Steffensen, director general and chief executive at Danish Shipping, said: “The ongoing serious and unfortunate incident with Monjasa Reformer clearly shows that the problems with piracy off the west coast of Africa are far from solved.
“Our thoughts are first and foremost with the crew on board and their loved ones at home, and we are working closely with Monjasa and relevant authorities both at home and in the area to resolve the situation and get our seafarers safely home,” she added.
Steffensen said the shipowners’ organisation fully understands that the Ukraine war means Denmark’s naval capacity is needed elsewhere.
“But since the piracy problem off the coast of Africa is not solved, we need to find other solutions,” she added.
The CEO argues that naval vessels from several countries are always in the area, including some from European nations.
She wants EU countries to coordinate their presence much more.
“The current situation clearly shows that most countries in the region do not have the necessary resources or capacities to respond to such an incident,” Steffensen said.
Handover agreements needed
“Therefore, we should also consider what smaller contributions Denmark can make to increased training or surveillance, while our frigates are engaged elsewhere,” she added.
Danish Shipping is calling for agreements with African nations for the handover of suspected pirates.
Danish authorities had to bring an injured suspect to trial in Denmark following a gun battle involving its frigate Esbern Snare in 2021.
“I know it’s complex, but we need to push for these agreements to be put in place, both for Denmark and other European countries with warships in the area,” Steffensen concluded.
