KUALA LUMPUR – Pirates have released one of two Malaysian vessels hijacked off the coast of Somalia last month, officials and reports said Monday.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told national news agency Bernama late Sunday that the MT Bunga Melati 5 has been freed and was now sailing to Djibouti. The 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew members are all safe and in good health, he said. He did not give further details.
The New Straits Times reported that the vessel was released Saturday after a $2-million ransom was paid, but this could not be confirmed.
A spokesman for national shipping line MISC Berhad, which owns the petrochemical tanker, said the company will issue a statement soon.
The tanker was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it was seized Aug. 29 in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia.
Pirates are still holding a second MISC ship, MT Bunga Melati 2, which was hijacked in the same area on Aug. 19, with 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipino crew members on board. One Filipino crew member was killed when the pirates boarded the ship.
“Negotiations are showing positive signs. It is our hope that the release of the hostages and the second tanker can be secured soon,” Abdullah told Bernama.
An aide to Abdullah, who declined to be named citing protocol, confirmed the prime minister’s comments but could not provide further details.
Malaysia has sent two warships and an offshore patrol vessel to protect its vessels following the hijackings near war-torn Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
Sixty-two ships have been attacked in the notorious African waters this year. A total of 26 ships were hijacked, and 13 remain in the hands of the pirates along with some 300 crew members.
Most pirate attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, to the north of the African country. Recently pirates also have been targeting Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia.
International warships are patrolling the area and have created a special security corridor under a US-led initiative, but attacks have not abated. – AP