Indonesian Navy Tracks Down ‘Mutiny’ Tanker Taken by Crew

A photo of the MT Vier Harmoni released Thursday by the Indonesian Navy. 

The Indonesian Navy has tracked down and intercepted a Malaysian tanker that was seized by its own crew earlier this month following a dispute with the shipowner.

The MT Vier Harmoni was first reported to have been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Malaysia on August 16 and taken into Indonesian waters. But a day later Malaysian officials said that an investigation determined that the ship was likely taken by its own crew after an internal dispute with the owners and managers of the vessel.

The ship reportedly has a 10-person Indonesian crew. It was carrying some 900,000 liters of diesel when it went missing. 

A search has been underway involving Indonesian and Malaysian authorities. 

The Indonesian Navy said Thursday that they located the vessel on Wednesday in waters off Pulau Dato, Malaysia. The tanker was expected to be secured and escorted to the port of Tanjung Pinang for further investigation. It was expected to arrive sometime this afternoon. 

The Vier Harmoni was delivered in 2014 and is owned and managed by Vierlines.