Asia/Pacific News
Ships Seized over Illegal Fuel Transfer
Two vessels were seized and their crews arrested over an alleged illegal fuel transfer off the coast of Malaysia last week, Malaysian newspaper the Star reports.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said enforcement officers found the ships in the midst of a transfer of 50,000 litres of diesel on Tuesday near George Town in northwestern Malaysia.
One of the ships involved was the Honduras-registered MT Moresby 9, the same ship that was reported attacked by pirates on July 4.
The other vessel was the MT Victory Star, registered in Mongolia.
The MMEA said there were 25 crew members on the ships, all from Indonesia or Thailand.
In the July 4 incident, authorities reported that pirates stole about 2.4 million litres of marine gas oil (MGO), as well as navigation and communications equipment and crew belongings, after tying up the crew.
The Moresby 9 had also allegedly been attacked by pirates two previous times this year, industry news site Seatrade Global reported last month.
