The pirates brought a larger boat alongside the tanker and siphoned off 2,000 tonnes of bunker oil and five tonnes of diesel oil
Before leaving with the stolen oil supplies, the pirates placed a device – which appeared to be a homemade bomb – on the tanker’s flying bridge area
According to the captain, the device looked like a TNT explosive and was held together by electrical wire
The captain brought the tanker into Thai waters and anchored it between Tarutao and Lipe islands off Satun province while he contacted marine police for assistance
Rear Admiral Somchai Na Bangchang, the third Naval Area Command’s chief of staff, said all 15 crew members were unharmed but a bomb remained on board
The navy instructed the vessel to anchor roughly 11 km from Pak Bara deep – sea port in Satun, and sent its explosive ordnance disposal team to inspect the bomb