Pirates Hijack Tanker off Indonesia

zoom An Indonesian-flagged tanker carrying around 1,100 tonnes of fuel was hijacked and its crew forced to board a lifeboat off North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Wednesday, January 28, according to the local media. According to initial reports, eight masked men armed with knives approached and boarded the MT Rehobot on a wooden boat, forcing 14 of the ships crew members to climb into the lifeboat which was then left behind. The crew was found and rescued with no reported injuries on January 31 by Indonesian authorities. Some media reported that 10 more crewmen are still on the hijacked tanker. The Indonesian media also cannot seem to agree on the exact name of the vessel, with two other versions to MT Rehobot being MT Berkat Rehobot and  MT Rehobooth. No ransom requests have been reported so far. Indonesian Navy and police are still searching for the tanker. According to the local media, the tanker is currently in Philippine waters. World Maritime News Staff