Leslie Lau – The captain and two crew members of a Malaysian-owned tanker have been kidnapped – the latest victims in a recent spate of pirate attacks being blamed on Aceh separatist rebels.
The surge in pirate attacks prompted the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to issue an alert on Tuesday, warning ships in the Malacca Straits to keep close to the Malaysian coastline to avoid pirates operating in the coastal waters of Aceh.
Mr Noel Choong, the Malaysian-based IMB regional director, was quoted by AFP as saying: "We are putting out a red alert to all ships entering the Malacca Straits: Keep clear of Indonesia's Aceh coast and maintain a strict anti-piracy watch."
Since May, nine attacks have taken place in the busy channel that is used by some 50,000 vessels a year.
The latest attack took place on Sunday, when about 10 pirates in military-style uniforms and toting assault rifles shot at the MT Penrider tanker, which was carrying 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from Singapore to Penang. The raiders abducted the skipper, engineer and assistant engineer – all Indonesian nationals – and are demanding US$100,000 in ransom.
Malaysian Marine Police commander Mohamed Muda said yesterday that the pirates pretended to be barter traders as they approached the tanker in two boats. The Penrider, a Labuan-registered vessel, was 22km from Port Klang when the pirates opened fire and demanded that the captain cut the engines.
The ship's owner was contacted and he negotiated the vessel's release with the pirates. But the captain and two crewmen were seized, as were RM10,000 (S$4,600) in cash, a cellphone and some documents. Police officials said the remaining seven crewmen were allowed to head on to Penang in the bullet-riddled tanker with its cargo intact.
Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Mohamed noted that pirates in the area used to be armed only with machetes and that it was uncommon for them to take the crew hostage.
In other recent attacks, pirates also opened fire with automatic weapons on the Dong Yih Taiwanese ship on Saturday, wounding the skipper in the head. That attack took place just off the waters near Aceh.
All ships entering Malaysian waters are now subject to stringent checks, SAC Mohamed said, adding that Malaysian police had asked their Indonesian counterparts to look for the hostages and establish if the pirates were from the Free Aceh Movement.
Industry sources say the surge in attacks could be due to the rebels' need for more funds to acquire weapons in the war-torn province.
The lack of policing and prosecution of those involved in piracy has also contributed to making the waters off Indonesia a high-risk zone for shipping, they added.