Only 40 minutes after it left a port in Singapore, the 5,900-dwt Sunrise 689 (built 2012) disappeared last Thursday.

It later emerged a group of more than 10 pirates destroyed the communication and navigation systems and kept all 18 crew as hostages.

Crew members said the pirates put knives to their throats and threatened to kill them.

Reuters reported that two of them were injured, quoting a manager of Haiphong Sea Product, owner of the vessel.

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