KUALA LUMPUR: The Indonesian Navy has agreed to aid the search operations in Natuna Island, Indonesia to locate eight men suspected to have hijacked the MT Orkim Harmony vessel.
Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the Indonesian Navy chief of staff, Admiral Ade Supandi had offered their assistance in locating the suspects.
"He said this (offered assistance) during our phone conversation and also through a text message this morning," he said in a statement today.
Abdul Aziz said, in the search of the eight suspects, nine assets had been deployed to the search area namely the P3C Orion aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force and three helicopters from the RMN which were the Super Lynx and Fennec.
"Royal Malaysian Air Force has mobilised their C130-Hercules and B200T-Beechcraft aircraft to join the KD Pahang, KD Terengganu and KD Jebat which already began their manhunt.
He said the RMN had also requested assistance from the Royal Thai Navy and Vietnamese Navy to assist in the search.