Aftercooperating with the shipbuilding and insurance companies as well astechnicians to examine the black box, the Department for Investigationof Social Order-Related Crimes (C45) concluded that the tanker wasrobbed by pirates on its way from Singapore to Vietnam.
C45 is currently working with the Ministry of Public Security’sInformation Sharing Centre (ISC) under the Regional CooperationAgreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia(ReCAAP) to investigate pirate groups in the Malacca Strait andSoutheast Asian region with a view to capturing the Sunrise 689robbers.
Vietnamese oil tanker Sunrise 689, with an18-member crew and over 5,000 tonnes of oil, was hijacked and robbed of athird of its oil by a gang of armed thugs, causing an estimated loss ofapproximately 30 billion VND (1.4 million USD) on October 2.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, the Sunrise case isthe 12th piracy incident involving the hijacking of tankers inSoutheast Asia since April, which are often released after the cargo isremoved.
Vietnam is now a member of the Southeast Asia and Asia conventions on combatting piracy./.