KUANTAN: The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) rescued a tanker with RM12mil worth of oil and gas cargo from a group of armed pirates in the South China Sea on Friday.
Commander of Naval Region 1 First Admiral Datuk Mohamad Roslan Mohamad Ramli said the 19 crew of MT Nautica Johor Bahru were rescued at 9.10pm after they were given clearance by Indonesia’s Sea Security Coordinating Board to pursue the vessel into Indonesian waters.
He said the ship was earlier hijacked in the Strait of Singapore, near Batu Puteh about 5.30am on Thursday en route from Malacca to Sibu, Sarawak.
“The shipping company suspected something amiss after they failed to make contact with the vessel and lodged a report with MMEA at 9.20am Friday,” he told reporters Saturday.
Present was East Region Maritime enforcement chief First Admiral Nasir Adam.
Categories: Malaysia