{Terror} Pirates hijack oil tanker in Malaysian waters

[BEER980]

Pirates hijack oil tanker in Malaysian waters

KUALA LUMPUR - Ten armed pirates hijacked a Malaysian-registered oil tanker on Tuesday, but later surrendered to police after holding the crew hostage for nearly 12 hours, maritime officials said. The men, believed to be Indonesians, launched the pre-dawn attack on the tanker, which was carrying diesel and oil products to Myanmar, off Malaysia’s northern Langkawi island in the Malacca Strait, said marine police commander Abdul Rahman Ahmad.

One of the tanker’s crew members managed to escape on a small boat during the attack, and alerted mainland authorities, said Abdul Rahman. Marine police chased down the ship and surrounded it, forcing the pirates to surrender after a six-hour stand off.

Police said the crew members were reported to be safe, adding that the pirates were being interrogated to determine the motive for their attack and if they were responsible for several other incidents in the straits. The Malacca Straits is one of the world’s busiest waterways, where more than 50,000 vessels ply it’s narrow waters every year carrying half the world’s oil and a third of global trade.

Despite joint efforts by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore - the three countries bordering the pirate-infested waters - the Malacca Strait records one of the highest number of piracy attacks and kidnapping cases every year.
Source