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