Missing oil tanker found, not hijacked
Malaysian authorities said on August 17 that the MT Vier Harmoni, which was reported missing the day before, had been found, adding that it was not hijacked.
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According to Director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Mohd Taha Bin Ibrahim, initial investigation showed the ship went missing due to “internal problems” between the ship owner, the leaseholder and the crew.
The MT Vier Harmoni, which carried 900,000 tonnes of diesel oil, was registered in Batam, Indonesia, and leased to a Malaysian company. All 10 crew members on the ship are Indonesian.
Competent agencies were able to contact the captain at noon on August 17, who said the ship was on the way back to Batam. All the crew were safe.
Indonesia’s navy also confirmed the ship was not hijacked and it was brought to Batam due to management problems.
The MMEA began searching for the ship after there were reports saying it went missing after leaving Tanjung Pelepas port in Malaysia’s Johor state.
The agency said it will continue investigating the cause of the incident.
