ReCAAP reported over the weekend that the tug, Ever Prosper, was attacked and hijacked by pirates on June 3rd, off the east coast of Malaysia.
According to ReCAAP, an unknown number of pirates boarded the tug and took control of the vessel. The report states that the Master of another tug sighted a barge and tug alongside the hijacked vessels as the barge’s palm oil cargo was stolen. MMEA have said that around 3000 litres of palm oil was stolen during the incident.
One crew was injured during the incident and the crew was robbed during the attack before the hijackers made their escape. The investigation continues.
This is the second hijacking in the region so far in 2016. In May, the Hai Soon 12 was hijacked off Indonesia. On that occasion, all the pirates were arrested.
