On March 26, Lithuanian authorities were informed about an attack on the Liberian-flagged tanker Monjasa Reformer, a Danish ship, some 140 nautical miles west of Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo. The pirates hijacked the vessel and took 16 crew members hostage.
On March 27, a special working group composed of representatives of various Lithuanian institutions was convened at the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC) to coordinate the rescue of the two Lithuanian citizens onboard. The Lithuanian authorities cooperated with Interpol, other international organizations and foreign partners to ensure that the Lithuanian citizens were freed as soon as possible and brought home safely.
NKVC’s spokesman Darius Buta said it was a sensitive situation and publicizing any information could have undermined the rescue operation.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was aware of the situation and was monitoring it, with all information provided to the NKVC.
The six-week rescue operation of the two Lithuanians taken hostage by pirates was successfully completed by Friday, May 5, as announced by the Government Chancellery and the National Crisis Management Centre (NKVC). The information was also confirmed by the Danish company Monjasa, the owner of the pirate-hijacked ship Monjasa Reformer.
The two Lithuanian men, born in 1958 and 1995, who were held captive by the pirates for six weeks, were on their way homeon the weekend. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of NKVC, said a ransom was paid for the release of the Lithuanians but did not disclose the amount. “There were 10 people left on board, and they were found and rescued. The others were taken to shore by boat, kept there during the negotiations.” The Lithuanian men were among those taken ashore.
In line with the global practice for such events, no information was provided on the progress of the operation in order not to jeopardize rescue efforts, according to the press release.
Although the information about the operation was leaked by third parties, the international hostage management team was able to successfully complete the rescue.
