Pirates plunder Malaysian tanker in Indonesian waters

Pirates stormed a Malaysian tanker in Indonesian waters, held its crew captive for a day and siphoned off 2,200 metric tons (2,425 U.S. tons) of fuel, a maritime official said Thursday.

The pirates attacked the MT Petchem early Monday near Indonesia's remote Natuna Island in the South China Sea, some of the most pirate-infested waters in the world.

The Malaysian vessel was heading from Port Dickson on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia to Kuching city on Borneo island.

The raid has raised fears that a syndicate that conducted a series of similar sea hijackings in the region two years ago could be back in business, said Noel Choong, regional manager of the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors piracy worldwide.

Small tankers carrying gas oil, a fuel used by boats and ships, have become increasingly vulnerable in recent years since the cargo is easy to sell to villagers who use motorized fishing boats, Choong said.

The London-based IMB's regional office in Kuala Lumpur has urged Indonesia's naval authorities to beef up patrols in the area to prevent further hijackings, he said.

The MT Petchem is now in Singapore, where authorities are investigating the incident. The pirates locked the crew in cabins during the hijacking but left them unharmed.

Indonesia's Natuna, Anambas and other islands dotting the waterway are notorious for pirate attacks. The IMB says that Southeast Asian waters are among the most dangerous shipping channels in the world.

There were 158 pirate attacks in Asia last year, up from 99 in 1998, according to the IMB. Maritime officials from 16 Asian countries met in a Tokyo conference last April and agreed to develop new strategies for fighting piracy in the region. (*)