Pirates steal oil from Thai tanker hijacked off Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, August 29, 2014 (AFP) - Armed pirates commandeered a Thai tanker off Malaysia's east coast and pumped out its cargo of oil, a maritime watchdog said Friday, adding to a series of hijackings that has raised fears of a growing Southeast Asian piracy menace.

The incident took place Thursday near the Malaysian resort island Tioman in the South China Sea as the tanker was travelling from Singapore to Thailand, the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre said.

The ship's crew were locked in the engine room as the pirates siphoned off the tanker's cargo of lubricant oil to another vessel, it said.

The ship and its crew -- all unharmed -- were released early Friday.

Under a routine practice, the Kuala Lumpur-based piracy centre declined to release the name of the ship or its owners.

The attack was the tenth in the South China Sea since April, said Noel Choong, who heads the centre.

He called that number "abnormal".

"We urge regional countries to cooperate to investigate and stop this menace," he told AFP.

"We need to stop it before it starts spreading."

Piracy was a problem in Southeast Sea for centuries, but stepped-up patrols by regional countries were credited with bringing a sharp decline in attacks in recent years.

But a spate of daring hijackings in recent months -- usually targeting tanker cargoes -- has fanned concern that the region's vital shipping lanes could once again become a hotspot for piracy, particularly the Malacca Strait.

About one-third of global trade flows through the strategic channel, which runs between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-08-29

Check all the Thai's bank accounts over the coming months.

I really don't see how pirates can board a tanker without their own vessel being in the vicinity, and on radar. If that's the case, and guys from dingys can mount and board an oil tanker, something is largely amiss. If the other ship/tanker was unidentified, thenwhat is an unmarked vessel doing at sea, which none of the tanker crew could identify?

If find these incidences bizarre, to say the least!

Edit: answered my own Q. :- http://qz.com/231850/an-attacked-ship-went-missing-in-the-south-china-sea-again/

Edited August 29, 201411 yr by DrLom

We can always resurrect the holiday on the sea, pirate hunt, just need to relocate to South East Asia.

I really don't see how pirates can board a tanker without their own vessel being in the vicinity, and on radar. If that's the case, and guys from dingys can mount and board an oil tanker, something is largely amiss. If the other ship/tanker was unidentified, thenwhat is an unmarked vessel doing at sea, which none of the tanker crew could identify?

If find these incidences bizarre, to say the least!

The report does not give much detail. Raids like this are disturbingly easy to carry out if the target is not prepared. It may well have been at night, dawn or dusk. The mother vessel would usually stand off at a distance while the pirates use small boats to take the tanker. Then the crew cannot see anything until it is too late.

better call in Captain Phillips

Time to put a Commando Team on each tanker and let the Royal Marine/Navy get some target practice. A Gun Ship helicopter would work nicely on each tanker until this crap stops. Somalia all over again. Seems like all modern day pirates come one particular religious group.

The facts speak for themselves !!,

I want to see all those Colonel and General people of the Thai Military really earn their salary and declare a CRACKDOWN on pirates.

Check all the Thai's bank accounts over the coming months.

I was thinking of the old Jewish joke where one Jewish partner calls the other partner and says the day you left for vacation three black guys came in and stole all our money. The partner replies...MURRAY,PUT IT BACK.

Sorry...but that's a joke that's about fifty years old and been told millions of times.

Okay they have a ship full of oil

But it must be refines\d and then sold

Not that many places cn do this job, and cheap oll is a quick give away

There will be a lot of curruption from here on

More money will go into other busisness than in the pirates pockets

Apparently the BIB have given the pirates 14 days to come in for interview or a summons will be issued but an extension is available to a time, date and place of their choosing.

A police spokesman said that progress was being mad with the case.

I want to see all those Colonel and General people of the Thai Military really earn their salary and declare a CRACKDOWN on pirates.

Not an smart request. Thai military are very skilled at taking over their own country but have no clue how to defend it from outside enemies.

While I have been working for a international cargo company, we were used to the fact (1990-2010) that the ships Rotterdam - Hong Kong - Rotterdam were boarded twice in the Malacca Strait and surrounding waters. On the way up and on the way down by pirates who came along with the pilots.

Pirates were using pilot vessels and other kind of "official" look-a-like vessels.. All our captains had a safe containing 100,000 € only to solve the piracy or kidnapping matter. The Malacca Strait is worldwide known as the strait with the most piracy events on the world. Piracy was there already in the 1600's and 400 years later it hasn't changed a bit. Pirates come from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philipines. While most of them carry a muslim religion what allows them to steel from every other religion....

Edited August 29, 201411 yr by FredNL

Okay they have a ship full of oil

But it must be refines\d and then sold

Not that many places cn do this job, and cheap oll is a quick give away

There will be a lot of curruption from here on

More money will go into other busisness than in the pirates pockets

I don't think it was bunker C oil, they did say it was lubricant oil, not sure refining is necessary.

I don't even know if Thailand has an or oil refineries.

I want to see all those Colonel and General people of the Thai Military really earn their salary and declare a CRACKDOWN on pirates.

Not an smart request. Thai military are very skilled at taking over their own country but have no clue how to defend it from outside enemies.

You might want to ask that sniping question of the Royal Malaysian Navy since the piracy occurred off the coast of Tioman Island in the S.China Sea, very close to the east coast of Malaysia, quite a distance from Thailand's coast .

I don't even know if Thailand has an or oil refineries.

I know some of the "isaan farangs" are cut off from reality, but come one ....this one must be in a coma..

Thailand has multiple refineries and even has quite a thriving offshore oil and gas industry...

Do you even live in Thailand ?

Okay they have a ship full of oil

But it must be refines\d and then sold

Not that many places cn do this job, and cheap oll is a quick give away

There will be a lot of curruption from here on

More money will go into other busisness than in the pirates pockets

if we take the report on face value it say lubricant oil, then its already been refined so easy to sell on

if its MGO, then easy to sell as well, already refined.

your assumption would be correct only if its crude oil, but even there is a market, even in its unrefined state

I want to see all those Colonel and General people of the Thai Military really earn their salary and declare a CRACKDOWN on pirates.

Not an smart request. Thai military are very skilled at taking over their own country but have no clue how to defend it from outside enemies.

That WAS my point!

Okay they have a ship full of oil

But it must be refines\d and then sold

Not that many places cn do this job, and cheap oll is a quick give away

There will be a lot of curruption from here on

More money will go into other busisness than in the pirates pockets

If it was a tanker full of any type of oil

disposing of any amount of oil will leave a paper trail a mile long

Guess again...what paper trail ?.....this stuff disappears into indo waters and onto the islands never to be seen again...

Let the Russians Navy take care of them They will show them how it's done

Shipping companies that don't hire armed security are asking for problems. But, perhaps it's cheaper to just insure the cargo and lives of the crew - not that they give a Delta-Alpha-Mike-Nancy about the actual lives of their crews. If the ships would start battling back, pirates would think twice.

somali pirates on the move, or just plain oil thai robbers from pirate island

Perhaps there is a contributor to this forum that can try and bring some sense to the actual scale of this incident.

Recently a Thai tanker (the Orapin, was seized by pirates in the waters around Singapore and southern Malaysia. As one member said, it would take quite a large vessel to transfer cargo from a ship the size of the Orapin and by global VLCC & ULCC standards, she is quite small.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/730977-pirates-free-indonesia-bound-thai-tanker-after-cargo-theft/

In this most recent incident, the subject of this topic, the ship's name is not mentioned neither the tonnage. I find it hard to believe a pirate crew operating a small vessel would have the facilities to transfer a large tonnage of oil from one vessel to another. If it was a larger ship, it would be easier to trace and somewhat harder to hide.

Maybe someone with marine knowledge can enlarge if interested.

Edited August 29, 201411 yr by ratcatcher

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Time to put a Commando Team on each tanker and let the Royal Marine/Navy get some target practice. A Gun Ship helicopter would work nicely on each tanker until this crap stops. Somalia all over again. Seems like all modern day pirates come one particular religious group.

The facts speak for themselves !!,

Civilian ships having armed forces and/or lethal weapons on board cannot be insured or insurance would be prohibitive.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Time to put a Commando Team on each tanker and let the Royal Marine/Navy get some target practice. A Gun Ship helicopter would work nicely on each tanker until this crap stops. Somalia all over again. Seems like all modern day pirates come one particular religious group.

The facts speak for themselves !!,

Civilian ships having armed forces and/or lethal weapons on board cannot be insured or insurance would be prohibitive.

baloney

Check all the Thai's bank accounts over the coming months.

I was thinking of the old Jewish joke where one Jewish partner calls the other partner and says the day you left for vacation three black guys came in and stole all our money. The partner replies...MURRAY,PUT IT BACK.

Sorry...but that's a joke that's about fifty years old and been told millions of times.

Call me dumb, i dont get it?

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Time to put a Commando Team on each tanker and let the Royal Marine/Navy get some target practice. A Gun Ship helicopter would work nicely on each tanker until this crap stops. Somalia all over again. Seems like all modern day pirates come one particular religious group.

The facts speak for themselves !!,

Civilian ships having armed forces and/or lethal weapons on board cannot be insured or insurance would be prohibitive.

baloney

Baloney is 100%correct, in fact some insurance companies require it in certain parts of the world to be considered for insurance, ie if you dont do it, you will not be insured.

the other fact, as regards "lethal" weapons, in a lot of instances, dependent on where they are travelling in the world, the master of the vessel would also have a firearm onboard anyway as a matter of course.

While I have been working for a international cargo company, we were used to the fact (1990-2010) that the ships Rotterdam - Hong Kong - Rotterdam were boarded twice in the Malacca Strait and surrounding waters. On the way up and on the way down by pirates who came along with the pilots.

Pirates were using pilot vessels and other kind of "official" look-a-like vessels.. All our captains had a safe containing 100,000 only to solve the piracy or kidnapping matter. The Malacca Strait is worldwide known as the strait with the most piracy events on the world. Piracy was there already in the 1600's and 400 years later it hasn't changed a bit. Pirates come from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philipines. While most of them carry a muslim religion what allows them to steel from every other religion....

Make you feel all smug and warm inside with that piece of bigotry in your final sentence? Piracy has nothing to do with faith and everything to do with poverty and/or greed.

Edited August 30, 201411 yr by Bluespunk

Was this in Chinese territorial waters ?

Was this in Chinese territorial waters ?

Here's picture, what do you think?