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Malaysian shipper bans vessels from Gulf of Aden after hijacks
Malaysian shipping giant MISC Berhad said it has barred its vessels from entering the Gulf of Aden after two of its tankers were hijacked by pirates there last month.
The waters are the most pirate-infested in the world, and have seen a spate of attacks in recent weeks, with eight ships taken by pirates since the end of July.
"MISC has with immediate effect put a halt on all its vessels entering into the Gulf of Aden until additional security measures by MISC are in place to enhance the safety of its vessels and crew," the
company said in a statement.
The Bunga Melati 5 with 41 crew - 36 Malaysians and five Filipino was seized last Friday off the coast of Yemen carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of petrochemicals.
Ten days earlier, the palm oil tanker Bunga Melati Dua, with 39 crew on board, was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. MISC has said a Filipino crew member died in an "accident" during the attack.
MISC said negotiations were already underway with the first ship to secure the safe release of the crew, but it has not made contact with the second vessel.It said the Bunga Melati 5 was seized despite "precautionary and preventive measures" taken by the company. "The vessel was sailing in international waters bordering the coast of Yemen and at the advice of the coalition forces, Bunga Melati 5 kept within the vicinity of the designated security corridor," it said.
