Singapore-flagged tanker MT Joaquim, laden with 3,500 tons of crude marine fuel and reported missing off Malaysia on the night of August 8, was found without its cargo fourteen miles east off Indonesia’s Pulau Rapat the following day, according to local media.
Two of the tanker’s ten crew members, including the ship’s captain, suffered minor injuries and were transported to a local hospital, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director-general Datuk Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said.
The MT Joaquim was en route from Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia to Langkawi, Malaysia, when it went missing in the Strait of Malacca.
MMEA deployed search and rescue teams soon after it lost contact with the tanker at around 9:30 pm local time Saturday.
The tanker’s missing cargo is valued at USD 700,000. This is the eighth tanker hijacking and siphoning incident in Malaysian waters since the beginning of the year.
Singaporean authorities will lead the investigation as the ship and the cargo belong to a Singaporean company.
World Maritime News Staff