Kuala Lumpur Control Center News

Pirates Thwarted By Naval Forces

A complex anti-piracy operation involving the resources of three nations ended on Wednesday as Indonesian naval forces stormed the Singaporean tanker Selayang to arrest a pirate gang that hijacked the vessel last week. "The high seas chase ended at 15:20 (local) on Wednesday when Indonesian naval and air units closed in on the ship," said a statement from the London-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which had been tracking the ship from its Kuala Lumpur control center. It had been chartered by oil-major Shell to carry a 3,500 tons gas oil cargo and was hijacked on June 19, shortly after it left Shell's Port Dickson refinery bound for Labuan, Malaysia.