Asia/Pacific News
MMEA Says Vessel Involved In Bunker Theft from Singapore Tanker Has Been Identified
Malaysian authorities say they have identified one of the vessels involved in the theft of 3,500 metric tonnes of marine fuel oil from a Singaporean-flagged tanker last week, Malaysian media reports.
According to Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Maritime Vice-Admiral Datuk Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, the ship who received the fuel has been identified, but details will not be released due to ongoing investigation.
The ship is also thought to not be in Malaysian waters, he added.
The MT Joaquim was reported missing last Saturday, and was found the following day without its cargo.
Reports from earlier last week say that authorities were on the hunt for two ships in relation to the hijacking.
"Our aircrafts has been monitoring the Straits of Malacca but so far we have not found the targeted ships," Ahmad Puzi said.
"We believe that the ships may be sailing in the Indonesian or Singaporean waters."
Once in custody, it will still take a few days in order to collect oil samples from the seized ships and match it to the MT Joaquim, he said.
It was reported later last week that the MMEA had handed over the investigation of the incident over to Indonesian authorities.
Read More: Bunker Pirates Steal 3,500 mt of Bunkers from Singaporean Tanker
Read More: Malaysia Hands Over Investigation of Bunker Theft from Singapore-Flagged MT Joaquim to Indonesia
Read More: 2015 Could Be A Record Year for Southeast Asia Bunker Theft, Says Maritime Security Firm
