You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Southeast Asia
Details of Foiled Pirate Raid on Malaysian Tanker
2005-06-15
LANGKAWI, June 14 (Bernama) -- Ten Indonesian pirates surrendered without resistance, Tuesday after their attempt to seize a Malaysian-registered oil tanker off Langkawi was foiled by a crewman who dived into the sea, stole their speed boat and then led a police team back to the vessel.

The pirates surrendered to the marine police at 3.40pm, almost 12 hours after boarding the tanker Nepline Delima which was registered in Port Klang and owned by Shah Alam-based shipping company Nepline Berhad.

Kedah police chief Datuk Supian Ahmat said only a one-metre-long machete was found on the tanker while other weapons used by the pirates, believed to be firearms, had been thrown overboard... the captain of the tanker, an Indonesian, and two crewmen were taken to Langkawi Hospital to be treated for injuries on their heads and faces sustained from being beaten by the pirates. Three other crewmen were also treated at the hospital for dizziness...

Supian said the pirates boarded the tanker, which was loaded with diesel and heading from Singapore to Myanmar with a 19-man crew, at about 4am 25 nautical miles west of Langkawi near Thailand's maritime border... the sailor who escaped alerted marine police at Bukit Malut at about 9am and a 20-member police team led by DSP Abdul Salam Abdul Halim raced to the scene. The police team intercepted the tanker 23 nautical miles from Pulau Rebak Besar, Langkawi, at about 12.25pm.

Abdul Salam called on the pirates to surrender but they refused and instead threatened to kill the crew and burn the ship. However, the pirates agreed to bring the tanker to about four nautical miles off Pulau Rebak Besar where it anchored at about 1pm... the negotiations with the pirates continued until 3.20pm when they finally gave in and surrendered.

All the crew members and the captain have been allowed to return to the 90-metre-long tanker, which is now berthed near Awana Porto Malai, to wait for the police to take their statements... the pirates, aged between 22 and 45 years, were being detained at the Langkawi marine police headquarters.
Posted by:Pappy

#15  Thanks, Ship. :)
Posted by: Pappy   2005-06-15 16:43  

#14  I think Commodore Pappy's been over all the problems with arming Merchants and the resulting legal hassle thereby entailed.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-06-15 15:22  

#13  I would think some special, well armed, troops aboard random tankers would go a long way towards stopping this sort of thing. Pirate ship comes up behind, they're climbing up the ropes, then suddenly faced with a barrage of machinegun fire.

Board the ship using helecopters out of site of land to make sure word doesn't get out on which ships are protected and which are not.

Take one prisoner per crew if possible. You want the word to get out, you want some details that will help break the networks and lead back to Vietnam or China or wherever a lot of these guys are selling the loot. And you want to send a message a pirate is unlikely to miss.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2005-06-15 14:04  

#12  I say keelhaul them.... those which survive would then be set free.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2005-06-15 12:43  

#11  Malaysians don't like Indonesians and for good reason.

January saw them have a spat over maritime borders in which Indo sent its warships to have a stand-off.

Indonesians have a very casual attitude to ocean rules. We've caught 100 illegal Indo fishermen this year in our waters stealing our fish and hacking off shark fins - and it's only June!

That sailor who stole the boat is the James Bond of the sea. What a complete hero!

Posted by: anon1   2005-06-15 12:41  

#10  Isn't dizziness and nausea the effects of 'The Scream', the new sound weapon Israel has? Who manufactures it? Do terrorists have a new tool in their arsenal?
Posted by: Danielle   2005-06-15 12:34  

#9  Why'd the police come? Did the pirates not keep current on their payments?

Because it was Malaysian police.

Malaysia is under a lot of pressure to get their act together, partly by playing on their over-developed sense of sovereignty. The U.S., Japan, Singapore, the U.K., and others have directly or indirectly implied that Malaysia better get its act togther or the others will step in.

Malaysia has also been trying to control corruption. It can't attract significant economic investment otherwise.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-06-15 10:56  

#8  Pirate attacks are Page 1.
Posted by: Fred   2005-06-15 09:25  

#7  How about lashing a live pirate to the anchor chain and then dropping anchor?
Posted by: Spot   2005-06-15 09:18  

#6  Real pirates would get stinky. Would a couple of properly made up store mannequines do to signal intent?
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-06-15 09:02  

#5  Lashing a dead pirate or two to the anchor chain would go a long way to guarantee safe passage to any vessel in any waters.
Posted by: Doc8404   2005-06-15 08:03  

#4  The crewman dives off an oil tanker, steals their speedboat and goes for help. That dude has balls big enough to come in a dump truck. I think somebody on that ship owes him a case of beer.
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2005-06-15 06:33  

#3  The pirates need to become shark bait as an example to their brothers-in-piracy. And hats off to the crewman who stole the speedboat. That guy was on the ball.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-06-15 02:59  

#2  Why'd the police come? Did the pirates not keep current on their payments?
Posted by: gromky   2005-06-15 02:42  

#1  Sorry - should be 'WoT background'.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-06-15 01:09  

00:00