ID :
17796
Tue, 09/02/2008 - 18:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/17796
The shortlink copeid
ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATION SOUGHT FROM YEMEN AND SOMALIA ON HIJACKED TANKERS
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- The Foreign Ministry has set up a special unit to monitor Malaysian tankers hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, besides requesting assistance and cooperation from its counterparts in both countries to ensure the safe release of the crew.
The ministry said it had requested the Yemen and Somalia foreign ministries
to exert efforts to see the safe release of the crew, comprising Malaysians and
Filipinos, of the two MISC Bhd tankers which were hijacked on Aug 19 and 29, and
to ensure safe passage for Malaysian vessels plying the Gulf of Aden.
"Malaysia will propose to other countries whose vessels are involved in
similar incidents to bring up the matter with the United Nations," it said in a
statement here.
It said the special unit set up to monitor the latest developments on the
incidents would be headed by the Consular Division, and the ministry would
continue to monitor the situation and developments through all diplomatic
channels.
The ministry also expressed its deepest concern over the second hijacking
of Malaysian vessel MT Bunga Melati V on Aug 29.
The second tanker, hijacked by unknown pirates in international
waters off the coast of Yemen at 9.50pm, was carrying 41 crew members, of whom
36 were Malaysians and five, Filipino temporary maintenance crew.
The fully laden tanker with 30,000 MT of petrochemicals, was heading
towards
Singapore from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, at the time of the incident.
On Aug 19 at 10.09pm, the MT Bunga Melati II, with 29 Malaysians and 10
Filipinos onboard, was seized by a group of armed pirates at the Gulf of
Aden.
It was fully laden with palm oil and heading towards Rotterdam from Dumai,
Sumatra.
The pirates on board had demanded a ransom of US$3 million
(US$1=RM3.39).
The ministry said it had requested the Yemen and Somalia foreign ministries
to exert efforts to see the safe release of the crew, comprising Malaysians and
Filipinos, of the two MISC Bhd tankers which were hijacked on Aug 19 and 29, and
to ensure safe passage for Malaysian vessels plying the Gulf of Aden.
"Malaysia will propose to other countries whose vessels are involved in
similar incidents to bring up the matter with the United Nations," it said in a
statement here.
It said the special unit set up to monitor the latest developments on the
incidents would be headed by the Consular Division, and the ministry would
continue to monitor the situation and developments through all diplomatic
channels.
The ministry also expressed its deepest concern over the second hijacking
of Malaysian vessel MT Bunga Melati V on Aug 29.
The second tanker, hijacked by unknown pirates in international
waters off the coast of Yemen at 9.50pm, was carrying 41 crew members, of whom
36 were Malaysians and five, Filipino temporary maintenance crew.
The fully laden tanker with 30,000 MT of petrochemicals, was heading
towards
Singapore from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, at the time of the incident.
On Aug 19 at 10.09pm, the MT Bunga Melati II, with 29 Malaysians and 10
Filipinos onboard, was seized by a group of armed pirates at the Gulf of
Aden.
It was fully laden with palm oil and heading towards Rotterdam from Dumai,
Sumatra.
The pirates on board had demanded a ransom of US$3 million
(US$1=RM3.39).
