Asia/Pacific News
Bunker Pirates: Caning, 10 Years for Sun Birdie Hijackers
Nine Indonesians Wednesday were sentenced to 10 years jail and one stroke of the rotan by the Kota Tinggi Sessions court for the hijackeing and robbing of chemical tanker, Mt Sun Birdie in Pengerang waters on January 29, 2015, local media reports.
The nine accused, who were all charged under section 397 of Penal Code, were aged between 26 and 48-years-old.
The hijacked vessel was said to have 700 metric tonnes (mt) of marine fuel oil and a total 10 crew members on board.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detected the tanker approximately 17.63 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Penawar, Pengerang the day after the vessel lost contact with local authorities near the Singapore Straits.
Seven hijackers were said to be still on board when it was found by the MMEA, while another two had jumped into the sea and were later picked up by a passing ship.
At the beginning of February, it was reported that all nine hijackers of Malaysian tanker had been detained.
