ORKIM HARMONY

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Malaysia in negotiations with Vietnam to extradite tanker hijackers

The Malaysian Maritime Crime Investigation Branch is in final negotiations with the Vietnam government to extradite eight suspects connected with the hijacking of the tanker MT Orkim Harmony in June last year. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) deputy director-general (operations) Maritime Rear Admiral Datuk Zulkifli Abu Bakar said an investigation team is currently in Hanoi to negotiate the process of extraditing the eight Indonesians. “We are ready to ensure that the mission of bringing the suspects to Malaysia can be done safely.“A total of four officers and 20 members from the Malaysian Maritime Special Response team are ready to carry out the mission,” he said in a statement. MT Orkim Harmony was lost in the waters of northern Tanjung Sedili, Kota Tinggi, in Johor on June 11 last year, with 22 crew members on board, comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and a Myanmar national. The eight men who boarded and commandeered the vessel were eventually detained by Vietnamese authorities near Tho Chu Island while trying to escape. Source: NST

"Mastermind" of Orkim Harmony Hijacking Arrested

The Indonesian Navy Thursday arrested the alleged mastermind of the MT Orkim Harmony hijacking, Albert Yohanes, in West Jakarta, local media reports. Colonel M. Zainudin said that the Navy’s Western Fleet Quick Response (WFQR) IV team apprehended Yohanes at a Grogol Petamburan apartment. “AY [Yohanes] is suspected of being the mastermind behind the hijacking drama of the Malaysian-flagged vessel,” said Zainudin “The success of the quick response team was achieved in no small part thanks to the tireless efforts in pursuing one of the main targets on the wanted list for an estimated one-and-a-half months.” http://shipandbunker.com/news/apac/264442-mastermind-of-orkim-harmony-hijacking-arrested

Tug in Orkim Harmony hijacking identified

The Indonesian navy said it has identified a tug used to hijack Malaysian-flagged tanker Orkim Harmony in June 2015. The tug was identified as Meulaboh, and was found abandoned near Pulau Seloko off Batam around 10:00 h by the Indonesian Navy's Western Fleet Command's (KOARMABAR) Quick Response team. This was revealed by KOARMABAR commander AR Taufiq in a press conference on 30 June.While eight of the 13 armed robbers who carried out the 11 June hijacking have been arrested, the other five remain at large.Taufiq said, "We're pursuing the pirates. The eight pirates caught in Vietnam have admitted that Meulaboh was used as a means of transport." Orkim Harmony, carrying 6,000 tonnes of unleaded petrol, went missing on 11 June en route from Malacca to Kuantan.