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Details of Foiled Pirate Raid on Malaysian Tanker
 LANGKAWI, June 14 (Bernama) -- Ten Indonesian pirates surrendered without resistance, Tuesday after their attempt to seize a Malaysian-registered oil tanker off Langkawi was foiled by a crewman who dived into the sea, stole their speed boat and then led a police team back to the vessel.The pirates surrendered to the marine police at 3.40pm, almost 12 hours after boarding the tanker Nepline Delima which was registered in Port Klang and owned by Shah Alam-based shipping company Nepline Berhad. Kedah police chief Datuk Supian Ahmat said only a one-metre-long machete was found on the tanker while other weapons used by the pirates, believed to be firearms, had been thrown overboard... the captain of the tanker, an Indonesian, and two crewmen were taken to Langkawi Hospital to be treated for injuries on their heads and faces sustained from being beaten by the pirates. Three other crewmen were also treated at the hospital for dizziness... Supian said the pirates boarded the tanker, which was loaded with diesel and heading from Singapore to Myanmar with a 19-man crew, at about 4am 25 nautical miles west of Langkawi near Thailand's maritime border... the sailor who escaped alerted marine police at Bukit Malut at about 9am and a 20-member police team led by DSP Abdul Salam Abdul Halim raced to the scene. The police team intercepted the tanker 23 nautical miles from Pulau Rebak Besar, Langkawi, at about 12.25pm. Abdul Salam called on the pirates to surrender but they refused and instead threatened to kill the crew and burn the ship. However, the pirates agreed to bring the tanker to about four nautical miles off Pulau Rebak Besar where it anchored at about 1pm... the negotiations with the pirates continued until 3.20pm when they finally gave in and surrendered. All the crew members and the captain have been allowed to return to the 90-metre-long tanker, which is now berthed near Awana Porto Malai, to wait for the police to take their statements... the pirates, aged between 22 and 45 years, were being detained at the Langkawi marine police headquarters. Posted by: Pappy 2005-06-15 |
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