Hijack Tanker Safe; Suspect Pirates Arrested After Lifeboat Escape
REPORTED missing days after a sister ship was hijacked in close proximity, Orkim Harmony, a Malaysia-flagged oil product tanker, was confirmed as hijacked which then saw a huge search mission instigated in Asian waters.
The vessel’s owners reported the tanker as missing on 11 June, stating that the last position received from Orkim Harmony was at 2054 LT approximately 17 nm southwest of Pulau Aur, Malaysia, with all subsequent attempts to contact the vessel proving unsuccessful. Malaysia officials criticised the company for delaying the report by 10 hours which in turn delayed the response of naval forces. On 12 June, after an incident alert had been issued by the regional piracy watchdog, ReCAAP, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Indonesian Navy deployed patrol boats to search for Orkim Harmony. Orkim Harmony was carrying a cargo of about 6,000 tonnes of petrol worth an estimated 21 million ringgit ($5.6 million) and 22 crew comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and one Myanmar national.
The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) informed the ReCAAP ISC that they had been notified by MMEA that an Australian patrol aircraft had located a vessel approximately 84 nm southwest of Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand.
The vessel had been renamed ‘Kim Harmon’ but matching the description of Orkim Harmony. Unconfirmed reports indicated that the vessel was loitering in the area waiting for another vessel to transfer the cargo ‘Kim Harmon’ was carrying.
Recovery of Orkim Harmony
Following receipt of the sighting of the tanker near Vietnamese and Cambodian waters late Wednesday - 10 ships and 4 aircraft were deployed in search of the vessel - Malaysian naval warships subsequently shadowed the ship, urging the pirates to surrender.
The VCG also despatching two patrol ships, CSB 2004 and CSB 2002, to the area to search for the tanker. The VCG reported that an MMEA aircraft had overflown the area, and the vessel was reported to be located in the Gulf of Thailand. Two Malaysian ships, KD Terengganu (RMN) and KM Amanah (MMEA) were deployed to the area to recover Orkim Harmony. Royal Malaysian Navy chief said, "We are currently monitoring and shadowing the ship. We will wait for the opportune moment to retake the ship.”
He added that the next course of action was currently being discussed.
"We have to get the consent of the owner and we also have to take the necessary precautions. Whatever it is, we are prepared," he said.
Reportedly, the pirates managed to escape in a lifeboat, giving warships the slip under cover of night, said the Chief of the Malaysian Navy on Friday.
Royal Malaysian Navy chief, Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar, statement gave no details on the hijackers' suspected nationality. He had earlier said they spoke with "Indonesian accents".
Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar, said that at around 0050 LT, the 22 crew members of the MT Orkim Harmony were unscathed except for an Indonesian seamen, believed to be Mavit Matin, who was being treated at Kubang Kerian for a gunshot wound to the thigh, but later reports state the pirates had beaten 11 other crew members.
"All eight robbers escaped at about 2000 LT, 18 June, by using the MT Orkim Harmony's lifeboats," Abdul Aziz said, adding that a range of Malaysian naval and coast guard assets were now searching for the pirates near Indonesia's Natuna Islands.
Further details later released said the pirates managed to slip away by ordering naval vessels to stay at least five nautical miles from the ship or the crew would be harmed.
The pirates had also warned the tanker's captain not to inform authorities of the escape, causing a five-hour delay in the official response, he added.
The navy chief said the MT Orkim Harmony's cargo was intact and the tanker was being escorted to Kuantan by the navy.
Suspected Pirates Arrested
In the afternoon of 19 June, the VCG informed that they had arrested eight Indonesians, who were suspected to be involved in the hijacking of Orkim Harmony. They went on to say that they had seized the boat the suspects were using, which is reportedly the life boat from Orkim Harmony. The suspects claimed that their fishing vessel had sunk, however, they were found with a large amount of cash and valuables. The investigation continues to determine what occurred during the time the vessel was held by the pirates. Later reports claim that a further 5 suspected pirates were involved in the hijack using a tug boat to enable the boarding of the tanker.
Rumours surfaced that those who were well-versed with the vessel and its movements may have provided information to the hijackers.
The Malaysia Home Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said information such as the tanker’s route, movements and exact location as well as its cargo of RON95 petrol worth RM21mil was only privy to those involved with the vessel’s operations.
“Such information would not be known to outsiders unless it was leaked by those from the inside,” he said.
SE Asia Piracy Increase
Earlier this month, ReCAAP ISC released it latest monthly report in which it stated that from January 2015 till May 2015, a total of 80 incidents had been reported, comprising 75 actual incidents and five attempted incidents. This accounts for an increase of 19% in the number of incidents compared to the same period in 2014. Notably, January-May 2015 recorded the highest number of actual incidents among the five-year reporting period, indicating that more incidents had occurred in 2015; and these were mostly incidents reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS).
OCEANUSLive incident reports mirror the increase of incidents and notes that 12 hijacks have taken place in southeast Asia in the first half of 2015, so far. This latest hijack, along with reports of 3 vessels boarded by pirates/robbers within a 3-hour period near Pulau Taking Kecil on 17 June, demonstrates that the organised crime gangs are acting with near impunity in the region, despite the efforts of the navies, coast guards and reporting centres to stem the tide of attacks.
Impact on Seafarers
The impact on seafarers should not be overlooked, as stated in the Oceans Beyond Piracy annual report launched 10 June. The report documents that there is a clear and reemerging threat to seafarers. The study found that more than 90% of the reported attacks resulted in pirates successfully boarding target vessels, and 800 seafarers were involved in incidents in South East Asia where violence or the threat of violence was specifically documented. According to Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, a Fellow of OBP, “The evidence shows that piracy continues to be a world-wide threat to seafarers. There are specific contexts that distinguish each region, but there is a common lesson in the need to address piracy through cooperation, vigilance, and sustained effort by all actors across the maritime sector.”
Sources: ReCAAP ISC, The Star Malaysia, Oceans Beyond Piracy
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