S ingapore - A hijacked freighter with a $2 million cargo of cigarettes and photographic equipment and 14 crew is heading toward Chinese waters, the ship's owner said on June 26.

The Hye Mieko, a 1,005 gross registered tonnage Panama-flagged freighter, left Singapore on June 21 for Cambodia's Koh Kong port.

It was due there on June 24 but radio contact was lost on June 23 in waters notorious for piracy.

William Tay, whose company owns the freighter and who saw it on June 26 from a helicopter, said: "Another ship was following closely behind it and it is controlling my ship".

Asked to describe the second vessel, he said it looked like a Chinese patrol boat.

"Nobody seems to be able to help because the ship is now in international waters," he said.