Armed men who boarded a tanker in the sea off Pulau Aur, off south Johor yesterday, shot dead a Vietnamese crew member and robbed the 16-man crew in what was described as the first fatality in Malaysian waters in two years.

The injured man was airlifted to a Singapore hospital where he succumbed to a gunshot wound in the head.

The attack occurred about 5.30am, while the asphalt-laden vessel was on its way from Singapore to Vietnam.

International Maritime Bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre head Noel Choong said today the Singapore authorities despatched a helicopter and airlifted the injured crewman to the hospital, where he succumbed to the head injury.

Choong advised ships to maintain strict anti-piracy watch and measures, especially at night, and to report all attacks and suspicious sightings to local authorities and to the Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, which would liaise with local and regional authorities to request immediate assistance.

- Bernama