The Malaysian navy foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack a tanker in the South China Sea, an international piracy watch group said Sunday, according to dpa.
Suspected pirates boarded the tanker off Malaysia's east coast on
Saturday. The crew immediately informed the vessel's owner, who
contacted the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting
Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The IMB informed Singaporean and Malaysian authorities.
"The Malaysian navy quickly dispatched a patrol boat and managed to
intercept the tanker. Pirates managed to escape before the arrival of
the naval boat. Tanker and crew are safe," the IMB said in a statement.