KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 (Reuters)– Malaysian authorities warded off the hijacking of a Thai oil vessel on Thursday and also detained 10 presumed Indonesian pirates aboard the ship, a maritime safety company leader stated.

An unique group from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) stormed the MT Tanker MGT1, off the shore of the northeastern state of Terengganu, virtually 10 hrs after it was reported missing on Wednesday.

While the 10 were apprehended on the vessel, 3 suspects on a smaller sized watercraft close by handled to run away, and also an MMEA vessel has actually been sent out to locate them, the company’s principal, Maritime Admiral Zulkifli Abu Bakar, stated in a declaration.

The watercraft was identified near the vessel by a security airplane.

“Warning shots were fired from the aircraft when the boat tried to escape but the attempt to stop them failed as the aircraft was running low on fuel,” Zulkifli stated.

Zulkifli determined the 10 presumed pirates that were detained as Indonesian nationals. None of the 14 staff participants on the vessel, all Thais, was injured.

The vessel, which was carrying 2.2 million litres of diesel valued at concerning 7 million ringgit ($ 1.66 million), had actually been accompanied to the community of Kuala Terengganu to assist with the examinations right into the instance.

Piracy in Southeast Asian waters, including its hectic global delivery lanes, has actually been a trouble for several years.

(Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Robert Birsel)

( c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017.