The Honduras-regustered tanker Ai Maru was boarded by pirates on Saturday after the vessel departed Singapore OPL for the Gulf of Thailand.
Initial investigations revealed that seven armed pirates boarded the product tanker, tied the crew and locked them in a room. They damaged the ship’s communication equipment, reportedly siphoned 620 metric tonnes of marine gas oil, stole the crew’s personal valubles, and fled after seeing the enforcement agencies’ vessels closing in. The crew was not injured.
ReCAAP ISC said it immediately worked with the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and alerted the regional maritime authorities upon receiving information that Ai Maru was attacked.
The Royal Malaysian Navy deployed one ship, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deployed two ships, the Indonesian Navy activated two ships and the Republic of Singapore Navy sent one ship.
ReCAAP said that the pirates had left the product tanker and escaped after they were alerted that the maritime authorities were closing in.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
