Kuala Lumpur, Sha'ban 17, 1435, Jun 15, 2014, SPA --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. --SPA 10:46 LOCAL TIME 07:46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w