Two pirated Indonesian ships and 10 crew members freed after 4 days

Two pirated Indonesian ships and 10 crew members freed after 4 days

2011-06-04 05:03:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

BATAM, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Two pirated Indonesian ships were freed after 10 crew members were held hostage for four days off the northern island of Kalimantan, officials said on Friday.

Last Sunday night, at around 10 to 11 p.m. local time, tugboat Mitra Jaya V and barge Makmur Abadi V were hijacked between 15 to 20 miles west of the Muara Jungkat buoy in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Antara news agency reported.

Mitra Jaya V captain PS Nainggolan said five men boarded the two vessels, while another boarded the barge. At the time of the attack, seven crew members were on the Mitra Jaya V tugboat, and another three were on the Makmur Abadi V barge.

The pirates pointed their guns and sharp weapons at the men, and according to Nainggolan, one of the crew members resisted and fought with one of the pirates. Eventually, the pirates took control of the ships, tied up the crew members, and locked them in one of the ship's rooms.

The pirates also took all of the ships' communication equipment, but police were eventually able to track them down.

The crew members were freed early Thursday morning at around 4 a.m. local time in the Tanjungberakit waters, around 14 miles east of Berakit Island, Bintan, Riau Islands by water police personnel.

According to one of the crew members, four shots were heard before police captured the pirates and took control of the ships.

All crew members were freed and taken to Makobar port in Batam, Riau Islands, where they were interviewed by the police. The captured pirates were later taken to the local water police headquarters in Sekupang, Batam, where they also have been facing investigative procedures.

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