Malaysia on June 15 deployed a large search team with the help of neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia to locate the Orkim Harmony gasoline tanker.

The missing ship Orkim Harmony Photo: Sun Daily.

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) said Malaysian authorities suspect the ship encountered pirates off the east coast of the southern state of Johor.

Malaysian maritime law enforcement agencies began searching several areas in the South China Sea on June 12, about 10 hours after the ship's owner lost contact with the vessel.

So far nearly 50,000 square kilometers have been searched but the ship's location remains a mystery.

AFP said the ship was carrying unleaded gasoline worth about $5.6 million and 22 crew members, including 16 Malaysians, five Indonesians and one Myanmar national.

Authorities believe the ship may have encountered pirates and been towed to an island near the Indonesian area.

"The most likely possibility is that the tanker is in Natuna and Anambas islands," Vice Admiral Ahmad Puzi said. "We have requested help from Indonesian authorities to search in their waters," Puzi said.

CNA said this was the second incident in the past two weeks. Previously, the smaller tanker Orkim Victory, also owned by the Orkim Harmony, was also hijacked by pirates who drained its fuel before releasing the ship and its crew.

(According to AFP/TTO)