(June 18): The hijacked Malaysian tanker MT Orkim Harmony has moved to Vietnam waters and attempts are being made to negotiate with the pirates holding the ship to ensure the safety and release of its crew, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said today.

MMEA director-general (Operations) Datuk Ahmad Puzi Abdul Kahar said Malaysian navy vessels – KM Amanah, KM Segantang and KD Terengganu – were in visual contact with the tanker at press time.

"We are quite near. We are 10 miles from the tanker," Puzi said at a press conference today.

He said although contact has been established with the ship, no demands have been made so far.

"The contact was established at noon today through the tanker's captain. The conversation was done in Malay but right now we are still trying to identify the pirates' identity," he added.

Fuzi said although the enforcement authorities have yet to board the tanker, they believed the cargo of 6,000 tonnes of RON95 petrol worth RM21 million was still intact.

No timeline has been fixed for negotiations, although Fuzi said he hoped they would not take too long.

"Our concern is the safety and the well-being of the crew. We have advised them on what they need to do. They have yet to make any demands at the moment," Fuzi said, referring to the pirates.

He did not discount the possibility of the navy launching an assault against the pirates but hoped that it would not come to that.

He clarified the description of the case, saying it was not a hijacking as the perpetrators only wanted the oil the tanker carried as cargo.

"Hijacking is when they demand ransom for the release of the crew while robbery is to obtain the shipment carried."

He added that the number of pirates involved were believed to be between six and nine persons, based on previous cases involving the capture of cargo vessels.

Some 15 assets were used in the search and rescue effort involving authorities from Malaysia and Australia to find the tanker, which was reported missing at 8.57pm last Thursday while on its way to Kuantan Port from Malacca.

Online portal Astro Awani earlier today reported that the tanker was spotted at 3.45pm yesterday by Australian’s anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft P-3C Orion at the 210 nautical miles off Pulau Redang in the Siamese Bay (Teluk Siam).

Naval Region 1 Commander Rear Admiral Datuk Azhari Abdul Rashid in a statement earlier said the vessel had been repainted and its name changed from Orkim Harmony to Kim Harmon to avoid detection.

MT Orkim Harmony, owned by Magna Meridian Sdn Bhd, was also carrying a crew of 22 comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and a Myanmar, when it lost contact.

The hijacking incident last Thursday is the fifth incident reported this year in Malaysian waters.

MMEA nabbed nine sea robbers in one of the case reported in January.

The agency had said that its patrol and enforcement operations reduced the number of incidents year on year, despite an increase in the number of ships pass through Malaysia's waters to 70,000 vessels annually.

The South China Sea is deemed a hotbed for piracy, and the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre has issued warnings to vessels sailing the area. – The Malaysian Insider