MALAYSIA: A tanker crewman has been shot dead and another injured off the coast of Malaysia, the IMB confirmed today.
Seven armed men boarded the Vietnamese-flagged asphalt/bitumen tanker VP Asphalt 2 yesterday. They asked for details of the cargo and even opened hatches to take samples of the cargo.
Not satisfied with the nature of the cargo, the armed men left the vessel after robbing the crew of their valuables. At some point during the robbery a seafarer was shot, although the circumstances are not yet clear, the IMB said.
According to the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme, the seafarer was found in his cabin having been shot through the forehead. He was airlifted to Singapore by a Singapore Air Force helicopter where he died in a hospital. He has been named as third engineer Tran Duc Dat. The injured seafarer is currently receiving treatment.
The IMB suspects the pirates were looking for gas or fuel oil, raising suspicion that an organised syndicate is operating in the region targeting oil cargo worth millions of dollars, and the syndicate may even be looking at taking hostages for ransom.
The vessel was en route to Go Dau, Vietnam, carrying 2,300 tonnes of bitumen.
MPHRP director Roy Paul comdemned the killing.
Topic: Tanker crewman shot dead off Malaysia (Read 1156 times)