Oil tanker found with cargo missing, crew safe

Earlier the tanker has been reported missing, allegedly hijacked off Selangor waters.

The 10 crew members of the Singapore-registered tanker MT Joaquim, which had been on its way to Langkawi, Malaysia, from Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia, were released by a group of hijackers at 8.55am yesterday, Reuters cited the agency as saying in a statement.

MPA said it received a report at 7pm on Saturday that the vessel was hijacked 29 nautical miles of Pulau Rupat in the Strait of Malacca, while it was on the way to Langkawi from Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia.

MMEA deputy-director general (operations) ‎Maritime Vice-Admiral Datuk Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar estimated the missing cargo to be worth of RM1.2 million. All crew members, including a Singaporean and eight Indonesians, are safe.

“We believe that a phantom ship was involved in this case and investigation is still ongoing”, he said at a press conference, today.

Puzi said two of the crew members suffered minor injuries and were evacuated to receive medical attention at Malacca hospital. “At the moment the owners are still trying to get clearance from the Indonesian authority to allow it to remain there until the ship is fixed”.

Puzi said there was a possibility that an “insider” was involved in the hijacking as the oil tanker was supposedly heading north but had changed course to a southern direction.

He noted the last piracy to occur in Malaysian waters involving the Straits of Malacca was in March previous year.

All 22 crew were subsequently release unharmed while the pirates were arrested by Vietnamese authorities.