The Thai tanker Lapin became a stage for a piracy attack with unexpected end. On the fatal Friday 13th, last week, a group of armed pirates boarded the tanker in the Straits of Malacca and took its cargo.
ReCAAP came out with a report on the accident, which said that after stealing the 2000 tones of bunker fuel, the pirates had tied the crew and had instructed them to stay quiet and not to move, as a bomb had been planted on board. By the time the crew managed to get free, the pirates were already gone. What really differs is the fact that the bomb appeared to be a fake one.
According to Thai Royal Navy the Thai Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the device found on board was a simple electrical circuit, without any detonators or explosives attached to it. The authorities found this evolution in piracy tactics a bit concerning, as the criminals have found a way to destruct them with a bomb threat and escape without any problems, while special services were trying to release the hostages and deactivate the "bomb".