PIRATES RELEASE PRODUCT TANKER HIJACKED LAST WEEK

Pirates have released Sunrise 689, a small product tanker that was seized last week near Singapore, in waters near Vietnam.

 

Two members of the 18-strong crew were injured and the pirates made off with more than 5,000 tonnes of gasoil.

 

It was the latest in a string of hijackings by pirates in roughly the same area east of Singapore and Malaysia to steal gasoil cargoes via ship-to-ship transfer.

 

The owner of the ship, Haiphong Sea Product Shipbuilding, said that the vessel had been attacked by 10 pirates. One of the injured crew members was beaten and suffered a broken leg.

 

The vessel lost contact with the owner 40 minutes after it left Singapore port, according to Recaap, the Singapore-based anti-piracy information sharing group.

 

Recaap said that the pirates boarded the ship with guns and knives and damaged Sunrise 689’s communication equipment.