A pirate attack on PT Timah’s Singkep 17 tin dredge in the early hours of Sunday morning was thwarted by the Riau islands water police. Five of the 10 men involved in boarding the dredge are now under arrest in Batam, in northern Indonesia.
The pirates, using a high power speedboat, boarded the dredge armed with machetes with the aim of stealing tin concentrate stored onboard. However when police arrived eight of the attackers jumped into the sea and two made off in their boat.
The arrested men are now being questioned about their plans for the disposal of the concentrate. “None of them has disclosed the destination. We along with Tanjungbalai Karimun police will continue questioning them,” Riau Islands police operation chief Commissioner Syahrial Denin told the Antara news agency.
