Hijacked Thai oil tanker returns safely from Malaysia

Bangkok, June 27 (IANS) Thai navy confirmed that a Thai oil tanker which was hijacked by a pirate vessel in Malaysian waters had returned to Thailand, the media reported.

"The hijacked oil tanker C.P. 41 is safe now," said Thai Navy spokesman Admiral Jumpol Lumphikanont on Monday.

Jumpol said the oil tanker were sailing on the right route when it was attacked and Thai navy sent patrol boat HTMS Takbai there to save them after being informed.

C.P. 41, carrying 17 crew and some 3,800 tonnes of diesel oil, was attacked by six armed pirates, while en route from Singapore to Songkhla Friday night.

The crew said they were held captive at gunpoint during the hijack, and the hijackers cut their communication, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Bahasa spoken pirates siphoned 1,500 tonnes and left the oil tanker on Saturday morning.

Jumpol said Thailand and Malaysia "has a strict joint patrol" after the incident and they have asked private companies to be more cautious and assigned authorities on routes of high risk of piracy.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)