An oil tanker carrying 900,000 liters of diesel has been initially reported as being hijacked off Indonesian waters after losing contact on Tuesday evening. However, authorities have officially stated that the View Harmoni was likely taken by its own crew in a dispute with their employer.
According to Reuters, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said in a statement that the ship,Vier Harmoni, has been located in the waters off Indonesia’s Batam. The ship, which sailed from the Tanjung Pelepas port in Malaysia on Monday, was carrying diesel with an estimated value of 1.57 million ringgit ($392,795).
CNN reports that the MT Vier Harmoni was not hijacked, as authorities initially believed, according to a statement by Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar, director-general of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.
The agency spoke to the captain and confirmed a misunderstanding between the ship’s crew and the operator was behind the incident, the official said without disclosing further details.
