Pirates hijack Indonesian ship

Pirates hijack Indonesian ship

KUALA LUMPUR: Armed pirates have hijacked an Indonesian-
registered ship carrying a cargo of tin ingots, an official said
on Monday.

The Prima Indah left Pangkal Balam port in Indonesia late
Friday and was boarded off Bangka island shortly afterwards, said
Noel Choong, head of the Piracy Reporting Centre of the
International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

"Our alert is going out. We have notified the regional
authorities. The Indonesian navy is combing the area for the
missing ship and its cargo," he said.

The ship, bound for Singapore, was carrying 660 tons of tin
ingots, he said. The cargo is estimated to be worth several
million dollars.

All 14 of the ship's crew were set adrift in a boat but were
now safe in Indonesia, he added.

The IMB said in July that waters off Indonesia are the world's
most prone to pirate attacks, recording 42 attacks -- or one
third of the global total -- in the first half of 2005. --AFP