MOWCA Secretary General’s calls for greater cooperation following the kidnapping of six seafarers on board the MV MONJASA REFORMER

The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) acknowledges and values the efforts and cooperation of the regional navies in the Gulf of Guinea, particularly the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum (SHADE/MCF), G7++ Friends of Gulf of Guinea (FOGG), Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC), Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT GoG), Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project / C4i, and other critical stakeholders who have worked together to combat piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea, leading to relative calm in recent years.

However, MOWCA is deeply saddened by the incident that occurred on 25th March 2023 involving the MV Monjasa Reformer, where six crew members were kidnapped.

MOWCA stands with His Excellency Kitack Lim, Secretary General of the IMO, in condemning this heinous act and calls for even greater cooperation and information sharing between regional and international navies to ensure the safe and swift release of the kidnapped crew members.