Missing Malaysian tanker found in Cambodian waters

Kuala Lumpur, June 18: A fuel-laden Malaysian tanker that "disappeared" off the east coast of Johor state on June 11, has been detected, repainted and renamed, in Cambodian waters, a naval officer said on Thursday.

The "MT Orkim Harmony", carrying 6,000 tonnes of petrol is being tailed from the air by Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) aircraft, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Malaysian Navy chief, Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said.

"We have found the vessel and the RMAF, MMEA and RAAF aircraft are tailing it from the air," he told Bernama news agency.

Admiral Abdul Aziz said the tanker had been repainted and renamed.

The MT Orkim Harmony went missing at 8.57 p.m. on June 11 as it was ferrying petrol from Melaka on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia to Kuantan on the east coast.

The vessel had 22 crew on board, 16 of them Malaysians and the rest Indonesians and Myanmarese.

IANS