A Malaysian oil tanker has been hijacked after leaving the Port of Tanjung Pelepas on the Strait of Malacca on Monday August 15, 2016, according to reports.
The vessel is carrying 900,000 litres of diesel fuel and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) believes the tanker is now being held off Batam, Indonesia.
The Strait of Malacca sees approximately a third of all LNG and crude oil exports pass through it every year, and piracy has always been a security concern in this area, PTI reported earlier in the year that Indonesian piracy could reach Somalian levels.
In other news, Indonesia is set to sink 71 impounded vessels at the end of its Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday 17 August, 2016, mostly Vietnamese and Chinese, to send a message that they have sovereignty over their fishing waters, reported Bloomberg.
Marty Natalegawa, Former Foreign Minister for Indonesia, said: “Some of the risk in our region nowadays is precisely the risk of misperception, miscalculation, minor incidents becoming bigger crises.
“The region as a whole should not lose the habit of open dialogue and diplomatic communication.”
The South China Sea region is a contentious one right now, with tensions rising over disputed waters and islands; a clash between a Chinese and a Vietnamese cargo vessel in the South China Sea occurred on August 8, 2016, sinking the Vietnamese ship.
These issues highlight the need for effective port and maritime secrity measures to be put in place, in order that incidents such as this can be eliminated.
PTI is due to release its Port and Shipping Security and Safety eBook in November, 2016. Keep your eyes peeled for the latest content.
