Tanker Captain tells of ordeal

Sunrise 689 released after hijacking in Southeast Asia.

Vietnamese tanker captain tells of harrowing pirate ordeal

By Phan Hau – Le Quan

The Vietnamese diesel tanker crew that was taken by masked pirates off the coast of Singapore believe the men were Indonesians.

Thanh Nien reporter reached Captain Nguyen Quyet Thang of the Sunrise 689 by telephone at around 5pm on Thursday after the pirates released him and his 17 crew members early that morning.

The 6,000-ton tanker left Singapore on October 2, but vanished from radar at 4:27am the following morning.

Vietnamese maritime officials say they lost contact with the vessel when it was around 120 nautical miles (222 kilometers) north-east of Singapore and 360nm (592km) from Ca Mau.

Thang said that soon after 5,200 tons of diesel fuel were loaded onto the ship at Horizon Port in Singapore at around 6am (Hanoi time) on October 2, they left for Vietnam.

Pirates caught up to them on a speedboat and two small fishing vessels early the following morning.

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Source: thanhniennews.com

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