Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia is hunting for a group of pirates who hijacked a tanker off its eastern coast and robbed 100,000 metric tonnes of petroleum on board.

"We have activated 24-hour sea patrols around Bintulu waters to prevent similar attacks," said Mohamad Sufi Mohamad Ramli, a local commander with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. "We are hunting down the pirates," he added.

There have been several attacks on ships in waters off Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia lately. The International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre has urged maritime agencies in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia to bolster security measures to stop the pirates. [13/05/14]