Leostar Vessel Reviews and Specifications

An early morning robbery at sea has raised concerns as a local boat is believed to be implicated in a daring theft of nearly three million liters of diesel from the Japanese tanker, Naniwa Maru 1. The incident occurred around 1 AM on April 22, 2023, in the waters close to Port Klang, near Pulau Ketam. Captain Christopher Dass, Chief of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), indicated that initial investigations utilizing the marine radar system revealed that a local vessel was present at the tanker’s location during the robbery. The Naniwa Maru 1, with a crew of 18 and carrying a cargo of 4.5 million liters of diesel en route from Singapore to Yangon, Myanmar, was attacked by eight armed assailants, presumed to be Indonesians. The robbers, who were armed with pistols and a machete, made off with almost three million liters of diesel alongside various communications equipment, personal belongings, and cash from the crew. In a dramatic twist, three high-ranking crew members—the ship's master, chief officer, and chief engineer—were abducted during the heist, with preliminary investigations suggesting their possible collusion in the crime. As the MMEA continues to gather testimonies, they have completed interviews with the second engineer and second officer, as well as several other crew members, including 10 Thais, 7 Indonesians, and an Indian national. The MMEA Forensic Unit is actively collecting fingerprints from the tanker as part of their thorough investigation. The owner of the tanker, based in Singapore, has engaged an agent to facilitate communication with the MMEA. Additionally, four representatives from the Indonesian embassy have visited the vessel seeking further insight into the incident. Captain Dass noted that the duration of the tanker’s stay in Port Klang will hinge on the ongoing investigation and the appointment of a new ship master.

On April 23, 2023, an alarming incident unfolded as armed pirates targeted a Japanese oil tanker off the coast of Malaysia, leading to the abduction of three crew members, Malaysian maritime police reported. This incident highlights the growing dangers to maritime shipping routes in the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest waterways in the world. According to Maritime Police Commander Abdul Aziz Yusof, six pirates in a speedboat boarded the Naninwa Maru 1 at around 1:00 a.m. local time on that Wednesday morning. The brazen act saw the pirates siphoning off more than half of the ship's cargo of 5 million liters of diesel into two waiting vessels before fleeing the scene with the three crew members, identified as Indonesians. The Japanese tanker, which was en route to Myanmar from Singapore, had a diverse crew that included members from Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, and India, although the nationality of the abducted crew has drawn attention amidst rising piracy concerns in the region.