Hijacked tanker found

MT Srikandi, missing since October, found off Thailand.

Hijacked tanker found, suspected pirates arrested

ReCAAP reports today that the tanker, Srikandi 515, hijacked on October 9th, has been located by Royal Thai Navy and Thai Marine Police. ReCAAP state that the tanker and eight suspected pirates were located off Thailand following a lengthy search.

The tanker, carrying a cargo of palm oil, was hijacked at 0600 LT on October 9th by armed pirates off Indonesia. On October 22nd, the pirates dumped the crew in a life raft and abandoned them at sea. Luckily they were found by Vietnamese fishermen the next day and taken to Malaysia.

On November 27th at around 1030 LT, the Royal Thai Navy and Marine Police found the stolen ship and eight suspects approximately 9nm off Narathiwat province, Thailand. The vessel’s name had been altered to ‘Chong Li 2’ but reportedly the cargo remained intact, which raises questions as to why the ship was taken in the first place. It’s possible the pirates believed the ship to be carrying marine gas oil, the current favourite cargo of hijackers in the region.

The ship has been escorted back to Songkhla, Thailand, for further investigations.

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