Shipowners with vessels off Malaysia have been warned to be on guard for possible pirates in the area.

Authorities report that members of Abu Sayyaf, a small, violent jihadist group in the Phillipines, may try to abduct a vessel's crew in waters between Indonesia and the Phillipines.

The pirates may arrive off the Borneo Island state of Sabah early tomorrow morning, according to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).