Pirates Raid Fuel Tanker

A maritime watchdog says pirates pilfered diesel fuel from a Thai tanker last week in Malaysian waters, making two such attacks in a week.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A maritime watchdog says pirates pilfered diesel fuel from a Thai tanker last week in Malaysian waters, making two such attacks in a week.

Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau says the tanker was sailing from Singapore to Cambodia when it was boarded by 16 heavily armed pirates on April 17 off the east coast of the peninsula.

He said Thursday the pirates damaged the ship's communication equipment and siphoned part of the fuel cargo into a smaller tanker that emerged. Choong said the ship only reported the theft to the bureau on Wednesday.

Pirates raided a Singapore tanker bound for Myanmar early Tuesday in the Malacca Strait and stole part of its diesel fuel estimated worth $2.5 million.

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