Asia/Pacific News
2,500 mt of MGO Stolen as Bunker Pirates Strike Again in Malacca Straits
Bunker pirates stole 2,500 metric tonnes (mt) of marine gas oil (MGO) from a Malaysian tanker in the Malacca Straits Tuesday, according to press reports.
The attackers damaged the navigation equipment of the vessel, the MT Oriental Glory, but the ship was recovered Wednesday afternoon with all 15 crew members safe, Reuters reports.
The attack occurred as the ship was headed from Singapore to eastern Malaysia.
"This is the ninth attack in these waters recently,” Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre, told the AFP.
“It's a big concern.”
Attacks in the region have been on the rise since last year, and the latest incident is the second this month, after about 2.5 million litres of MGO was stolen from a vessel off the Malaysian coast on July 4.
