ID :
371787
Sat, 06/20/2015 - 08:18
Auther :

All On Board MT Orkim Harmony Safe, Pirates Nabbed By Vietnamese Authorities

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 (Bernama) -- The operation to rescue the crew of tanker MT Orkim Harmony, which was hijacked by eight pirates on June 11, ended successfully at about 2.30am Friday with all 22 crew members on board released unharmed. Mavit Matin, 46, an Indonesian cook on board the tanker, who was shot in his left calf by the hijackers on the day of the hijacking, is reported to be only slightly injured. The eight hijackers who managed to flee from the tanker were also detained by the Vietnamese authorities near Tho Chu island in the south of Vietnam at about 6.30am Friday. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director-general (Operations) Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said they were caught after trespassing into Vietnamese waters in a lifeboat from the tanker in their bid to escape. He said the MMEA was in talks with the Vietnamese authorities to bring the pirates to Malaysia. He said MMEA had not received confirmation on the nationalities of the pirates and the firearms used by them to hijack the tanker. "Based on past experience, when the hijackers know they have been beaten, they will throw the weapons into the sea. For now we will let the Vietnamese conduct the investigations," he said. To ensure the pirates did not escape the law, Ahmad Puzi said the MMEA would record statements from the 22 crew members and conduct forensics investigations on the ship as soon as it docks at Kuantan Port, in the east coast Malaysian state of Pahang. Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the pirates escaped in a lifeboat belonging to MT Orkim Harmony at about 8.30pm on Thursday, while the captain of the tanker called RMN vessel KD Terengganu at 12.55am Friday asking to be rescued. Besides the crew being rescued, the tanker's cargo of 6,000 metric tonnes of RON95 petrol was also confirmed to be intact. The tanker is now on its way to Kuantan Port escorted by RMN vessel KD Handalan and is expected to arrive at 2am Saturday (June 20). The tanker's captain Nor Fazly Sahat had only made the call after about five hours since the hijackers left because they had threatened to harm his family if he informed the authorities about their escape plan. "He (Nor Fazly) feared for his family's safety. Before making the threat the hijackers had taken down particulars of his family," Abdul Aziz said, adding that RMN deployed a P-3C Orion, a C130 and a Beechcraft aircraft, three ships and two helicopters to shadow the tanker. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Razak thanked all parties involved in ensuring the safe release of the 22 crew members of the hijacked MT Orkim Harmony. "Alhamdulillah (Thank God), I am relieved that all 22 crew members of the tanker MT Orkim Harmony have been released safely this morning (Friday morning). "Thank you to all those who worked to secure their safe release," he said in his latest Facebook posting on Friday. The vessel, owned by Magna Meridian Sdn Bhd, was carrying 22 crew on board, comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and a Myanmar national. MT Orkim Harmony, laden with the petrol worth US$5.65 million (RM21 million), was reported missing at 8.57 pm last Thursday while on its way to Kuantan Port, Pahang, from Melaka state. -- BERNAMA

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