The 1,924-dwt Danai 4 (built 1986) has now been released but is returning to Singapore empty, according to the IMB.

As TradeWinds reported yesterday the vessel lost contact with its owners on Thursday shortly after leaving the Lion City.

It was laden with a cargo of fuel oil bound for Vietnam when it lost contact close to the tip of the Malay Peninsula.

"The pirates stole its cargo and caused some damage to the ship's communication equipment. All crew safe," the IMB’s Kuala Lumpur-based piracy reporting centre said in a statement