Hard to detect small boats, Navy chief explains how hijackers got away

Royal Malaysian Navy chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the small boat used by hijackers of MT Orkim Harmony to escape was difficult to detect by the navy vessels.

Explaining on Twitter on how the robbers got away, Abdul Aziz said he was not giving excuses but said this is a fact.

They were in a small boat, hard to detect from 5 miles away"@TuahTamingsari1: if you can locate the vessel, why the robbers disappear?"
— Abdul Aziz Jaafar (@ChiefofNavy) June 20, 2015

Bukan cari sebab, kes benar"@TuahTamingsari1: lagi x masuk akal, kapal leh kesan dr udara, perompak x dpt, cari, sbb naik rescue boat, lawak
— Abdul Aziz Jaafar (@ChiefofNavy) June 20, 2015

Netizens had raised questions on how the robbers who hijacked the tanker managed to evade the authorities despite being surrounded by navy vessels.

So @ChiefofNavy , when you said your men had #Orkim in their scope, what did you mean? How did pirates get away?
— Rajasundram (@Raja_5) June 19, 2015

However, Abdul Aziz had explained on Friday that the hijackers escaped authorities after warning them to stay at least five nautical miles away from the tanker.

The hijackers had also warned that if their warning was not heeded, they would harm the crew members onboard.

The hijackers took down personal details of the tanker’s caption Nor Fazly Sahat and threatened to harm his family if he disclosed their escape plans.

READ: Hijackers slipped away after warning ships to stay five nautical miles

P3C Orion belonging to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) located the tanker at 210 nautical miles off Redang Island at 3.45 pm on June 17.

The missing MT Orkim Harmony was found safe, with its name changed to 'Kim Harmon' and its chimney painted black.

MT Orkim Harmony was sailing from Malacca to Kuantan when it went missing on June 12. On board the tanker were 22 crewmen comprising 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and one from Myanmar.