Tanker with 900000 litres of oil hijacked off Malaysia

The tanker carried 9,00,000 litres of diesel worth $3,90,000.

“We believe the ship’s captain might have turned off its tracking system as we could not trace it on our radar”.

“Initial investigations suggest that the crew members made a decision to sail the ship to Batam after a dispute between them and their employer”.

Puzi said Wednesday that the vessel was headed into waters near Indonesia’s Batam island which lies off Singapore.

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said that the ship was now believed to be off the Indonesian island of Batam.

Vier Harmoni tanker carrying 900,000 liters of diesel fuel reportedly disappeared from a seaport in Kuantan of Malaysia on Tuesday.

Datuk Ahmad Puzi earlier tweeted about the disappearance of the vessel, saying that the MMEA had launched an investigation.

But the London-based International Maritime Bureau reported last month that improved security at designated anchorages in Indonesia led to a decline in low-level theft targeting ships in its waters.

“At the moment we do not have any information about the tanker or its whereabouts”, he told Agence France-Presse. He said the ship was about to enter Batam, but did not provide the its exact position.

“If there are no incidents such as oil spills, the bond will be returned to the shipping company”, he said.

Malaysian vessels have been targeted by hijackers before.