ReCAAP confirms Thai tanker hijack

ReCAAP has today confirmed that the Thai-registered Orapin 4, which went missing en route from Singapore to Indonesia carrying a 3,377 metric tonne cargo of diesel (ADF) was indeed hijacked. 

According to the report, the ship finally anchored at Sriracha port, Chon Buri, Thailand on June 1st at around 1930 LT. The crew reported that the pirates boarded the tanker, stole the oil onboard (the exact quantity stolen is not specified in the report), destroyed comms equipment and left the tanker. The crew is safe.

ReCAAP reports that the full details of the incident are not known at this point and the investigation is ongoing.

Presumably, the pirates/thieves must have used a secondary vessel to transfer the cargo and naval forces in the region will now be searching for it, if the Orapin 4’s crew were able to provide any details. This is the second major cargo theft in the region in the last two months. Despite increasing levels of maritime crime, it is not common for vessels in the region to transit with armed protection teams.