By Prashanth Parameswaran
The country steps up efforts to find a missing vessel with the help of regional states.
Last week, a Malaysian-registered tanker went missing in the South China Sea near Johor. Though the vessel – believed to be hijacked – still has not been found a week later, the Malaysian government is stepping up its rescue efforts with the help of other neighboring states and willing partners.
The tanker, the MT Orkim Harmony, suddenly lost contact around 8:50pm Thursday night. It was filled with nearly 6,000 tons of RON95 petrol worth some 21 million ringgit (US$5.6 million) and had 22 crew members on board, including 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and a Myanmar national. Malaysian authorities immediately began combing surrounding waters after they received a missing tanker report from the shipping company Orkim Ship Management Sdn Bhd on Friday morning. But after nearly 50,000 square kilometers has been searched over the past few days, the vessel has yet to be found.
Malaysian officials now believe that the vessel was hijacked. On Monday, Vice Admiral Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, deputy director general of the operations unit of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, described it as a “confirmed case of piracy.” On Tuesday, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was less certain but nonetheless acknowledged that it was the most likely outcome, and perhaps even aided by an “inside job,” considering the fact that there was clearly knowledge of where the tanker was and what it was carrying.
Read the full story at The Diplomat