Asia/Pacific News
Hijacked Cargo Ship Found off the Coast of Miri, Malaysia
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) says the Sam Lian cargo ship that was reported missing Monday and suspected of having been hijacked, along with its 14 crew members on board, has been found off the coast of Miri, local media reports.
The captain of Sam Lian said the ship began drifting after suffering engine failure, and had reportedly contacted a nearby vessel to communicate the situation.
All crew were reported as safe, but it is unclear at this time whether the vessel's 500 tonnes of general cargo was still intact, or whether any bunkers were stolen.
However local reports noted several recent bunker motivated hijackings in the area, including that of the Singaporean-flagged tanker MT Joaquim last month, which had its cargo of 3,500 tonnes of marine fuel oil stolen.
The crew is said to be from Malaysia, India, Myanmar, India, and Indonesia.
A search for the ship was launched after the Sam Lian failed to arrive in Limbang town, Sarawak as scheduled on September 5, having left Kuching on September 2.
Two marine boats and two patrol boats were reported to have been sent from Tanjung Sirik area to rescue the crew.
In August, two Indonesia-flagged tankers, one of which was carrying bunker fuel, were detained by the MMEA after both allegedly docked off the coast of Pengerang without authorisation.
