A products tanker carrying 4,000t of marine gas oil (MGO) has been recovered less than 24 hours after the ship was hijacked off Indonesia.

Local authorities are also reported to have apprehended nine suspected hijackers found aboard the 5,400-dwt Hai Soon 12 (built 1993).

Details of the hijacking were reported by Singapore-based the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.

On 8 May the ReCAAP ISC said it received information from a shipping company about the loss of communications with one of their ships.

It said it had lost communications with the Hai Soon 12 for about 12 hours and the ship did not respond to the company’s attempts to contact the ship.

The Kiribati-flagged vessel had departed Singapore on 8 May and was supposed to travel to the Southern Ocean via the Sunda Straits to sell MGO to fishing vessels.

However, the ship deviated from her planned route and travelled in a southeasterly direction towards Sulawesi instead.

Two Indonesian naval ships were despatched to locate the Hai Soon 12, which had maintained its course towards Bawean Island until about 2211 hrs, at which point it altered course tracking eastwards.

In the afternoon of 9 May the naval ships intercepted and boarded the Hai Soon 12 and nine perpetrators were found on board the ship and were arrested.

ReCAAP said all 21 crew members of the Hai Soon 12 were safe and not injured and the cargo was also found to be intact.

Initial investigations revealed that on 7 May at about 2045 hrs, the nine perpetrators climbed up the poop deck of the Hai Soon 12 from a small boat in waters off Pulau Belitung.

The crew was reportedly tied up in the mess room and arrangements were overheard stating the intent to sell the MGO in the night.

“This is the first attempted incident of hijacking of tanker for oil cargo theft in 2016. The last oil cargo theft occurred on board Joaquim on 8 August 2015,” ReCAAP said.

“The failed attempt can be attributed to the regional cooperation and collaboration in information sharing and operational responses among the ReCAAP ISC, and Indonesian authorities; leading to the arrest of perpetrators and cargo remained intact.”