KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Three pirates boarded a Japanese-owned bulk carrier in the Malacca Strait early Friday and robbed the crew of 20,000 US dollars before fleeing in a fishing boat.

    None of the 21 crew members, all Filipino, was hurt and the cargo on board was left untouched in the 3:00 a.m. incident, Malaysia's Selangor marine police commander N. Kalai Chelvan told reporters in Port Klang, 45 km west of here.

    The pirates stopped the Panamanian-registered MV Ocean Bridge in international waters in the waterway 20 nautical miles from Pulau Angsa, Kuala Selangor, as the vessel was heading for India from Port Klang.

    Kalai said he was informed about the incident by Malaysian Rescue and Coordination Center (MRCC) although the vessel's crew did not make a report to Malaysian marine police.

    He said the crew only radioed MRCC about the incident after the ship was about 130 nautical miles from the spot where it was boarded by the pirates. Kalai could not confirm whether the pirates were armed.

    He said more marine police were deployed to the scene of the attack but the pirates had not been sighted. The vessel was continuing its trip to India.

    The attack was the second in recent weeks involving Japanese-owned vessels using the Malacca Strait.

    On March 14, pirates abducted two Japanese and a Filipino from a tugboat. The three crewmen were released unharmed about a week later.

    According to the International Maritime Bureau, 37 pirate attacks were recorded in the strait last year. Enditem