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Tug and barge confirmed hijacked in South China Sea

Tug and barge confirmed hijacked in South China Sea

Singapore: The hijacking of a Singapore-owned tug and barge in the South China Sea has been confirmed.

Singapore-based ReCAAP said the Singapore-registered tugboat PU 2007 and barge PU 3316 were hijacked 2328hrs on April 19, 57nm of Kuantan. Seatrade Asia Online reported earlier today the vessels were missing feared hijacked by pirates.

The tugboat has a crew of nine and were headed from Kalimantan, Indonesia to the Gulf of Thailand.

The Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency activated ships and aircraft to look for the missing vessels.

The Singapore-registered tugboat, Asta, was hijacked in the South China Sea on February 6, the vessel was recovered the following month in the Philippines. [20/04/10]