Hijacked Tanker Found off Thailand

On November 27 at or about 1030 hours (local time), the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) reported to the ReCAAP ISC that the hijacked tanker Srikandi 515 has been identified and located at approximately 9 nm off Narathiwat province, Thailand by the RTN and Thai Marine Police. The Thai authorities also apprehended eight perpetrators onboard Srikandi 515.

The ship was also reportedly repainted and renamed from “Srikandi 515” to “Chong Li 2”. The palm oil cargo onboard the vessel was apparently left intact. The vessel was subsequently escorted back to Songkhla, Thailand for further investigation.

On October 9, the Indonesia-registered product tanker, Srikandi 515 was boarded by suspected pirates in Sampit waters, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Srikandi 515 was en route to Gresik, East Java, Indonesia from Sampit, laden with 3,100 tons of palm oil. The perpetrators reportedly blindfolded and tied the crew; took control of the vessel and sailed in a north-westerly direction.

On October 22, the assailants forced the crew of Srikandi 515 onto a life raft and abandoned them in the middle of the sea. The next day, the crew was found and rescued by Vietnamese fishermen, who brought them to Chendering, Malaysia. It was later reported that the crew was transferred to the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 35.

The ReCAAP ISC commends the RTN and Thai Marine Police for the successful apprehension of the perpetrators as well as the recovery of the vessel and cargo. Investigation of the incident is currently ongoing and the ReCAAP ISC is working closely with the ReCAAP Focal Point (Thailand) to establish what had transpired onboard Srikandi 515 between 9 Oct 14 and 27 Nov 14.