The captain and two crew-members of a Malaysian-owned ship who were kidnapped by armed pirates in Indonesian waters, have been released unharmed, said media reports today.

The three Indonesians were released after a ransom was paid to the kidnappers, Marine police commander Mohamad Muda was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

"The three hostages were released after ransom was paid through a middleman," he said. He did not reveal the amount paid.

The M T Penrider, carrying 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil from Singapore to Penang, was attacked and robbed last Sunday in tAhe Malacca Strait off Malaysia's Port Klang by gunmen armed with AK47 and M-6 rifles.

The captain, Djunaidi Nawai, chief engineer Hamdi and his assistant, Mangatur Siahaan, were taken hostage while seven other crew, five Indonesians and two Myanmar nationals, were allowed to proceed to Penang with the ship.

The pirates had reportedly demanded US$100,000 (RM380,000) for the release of the three hostages.

The pirates also seized RM10,000 in cash, a cellular telephone, shipping documents and clothes from the crew.

No injuries

Meanwhile, Selangor state crime investigation department chief Abu Bakar Mustafa said the three were released somewhere off an island in Indonesian waters.

They were then taken to Medan, Indonesia, where they boarded a flight to Penang.

He said the three did not suffer any injuries.

Police believe the attack could be the work of the Indonesian rebel Free Aceh Movement, which operates in Sumatra Island across the strait from Malaysia.

Noel Choong, regional director for the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur, said such attack-and-kidnap cases were previously confined to the north of the strait and this was the first incident in the southern part.

"We don't know if it is the work of Aceh rebels or it is a new gang of pirates following the same modus operandi as in the north. We are worried it may be a new trend," he told AFP.

Choong said he had been told "the pirates were not only carrying M-16 and AK-47 rifles, they also had a grenade launcher," but marine police could not confirm this.

The IMB has warned seafarers to keep clear of Indonesia's war-torn Aceh coast on the strait and maintain a sharp anti-piracy watch after eight attacks on ships in the area in the past four months.

There have been 22 reported cases of pirate attacks this year in the Malacca Strait, a narrow waterway slicing Indonesia's sprawling Sumatra island from Malaysia.

It is one of the busiest lanes in the world, funnelling 50,000 vessels a year in both directions.