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Malaysia foils attempted robbery on $23m bunker cargo

Malaysia foils attempted robbery on $23m bunker cargo
The Malaysian authorities in Johor state have claimed that they have thwarted the “biggest” marine fuel robbery attempt so far this year, involving 90,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil valued at around $23m, reports said.

Six armed robbers had boarded 105,547-dwt oil tanker Almi Spirit in the early hours on Thursday, but they fled shortly after alarms were sounded by the chief engineer, local media reported.

“At the time, the ship was located in Indonesian waters near Karimun Island. Our patrol ship KM Rawa was about eight nautical miles from the vessel,” said Aminuddin Abdul Rashid, maritime chief of Johor Baru. He added that the Singapore coast guard had also alerted the Malaysian maritime authorities of the potential crime.

“If the robbery had been successful, it would have been the biggest haul so far this year,” Aminuddin was quoted as saying.

The 2007-built, Liberia-flagged Almi Spirit was carrying 26 crew members. The ship was directed by the Aerial Control Centre to enter Malaysian waters where it was then escorted by two ships to Tanjung Piai.