Eight Indonesians were sentenced yesterday to between 15 and 18 years in prison by a Malaysian court for the hijacking of an oil tanker last year.

The Orkim Harmony was carrying around 6,000 tonnes of petrol when it was attacked by the eight men on June 11 last year. 

The tanker was en route from Malaysia’s western coast to the port of Kuantan on the east coast. 

Six of the pirates were sentenced to 15 years in jail and five strokes of the cane, while the other two were handed 18-year jail sentences. 

“We welcome the tough punishment. It will send a strong signal to potential pirates that crime does not pay,” Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau’s Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Center, told AFP. “Kami mendukung hukuman berat.

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