KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Heavily armed pirates boarded a Singapore-based tanker in the Strait of Malacca, kidnapping three Indonesian crewmembers and stealing some of its diesel fuel cargo, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said Wednesday (April 23rd), according to AFP.

The attack occurred early Tuesday off Malaysia's west coast, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre. The tanker was believed en route to Burma.

"A tanker was boarded by about 12 heavily armed pirates," an IMB report said. The pirates brought in other tankers that pumped out some of the boarded vessel's diesel.

The crew of the targeted vessel comprised Indonesian, Thai, Burmese and Indian nationals.