MISC ASSURES CARE FOR CAPTURED CREW, FAMILY MEMBERS' WELFARE

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- MISC will be responsible for the welfare and needs of its crew members held captive by Somali pirates who hijacked its tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Aug 19.

Its general manager for Corporate Affairs Fiona Clare Pereira said MISC
would also provide the crew's family members with updated informatiom on the
incident and ensure their well-being.

"We hope the family members will be patient, and we promise that we will
look into their needs. We place importance on the welfare of each of our
personnel and their families concerned," she said when contacted here
Monday.

On Aug 19, the MISC's MT Bunga Melati 2 tanker with 39 crew members on
board, including 29 Malaysians and the rest Filipinos, was hijacked by pirates
in the Gulf of Aden in which one of the Filipinos was killed by a stray bullet.

Ten days later, another MISC vessel, the Bunga Melati 5 with 41 crew
members comprising 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos, was also hijacked in the
same waters while on its way from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia to Singapore.

Pereira said based on information received earlier, all the crew members
from both vessels were safe and negotiations to free them were ongoing.

"We hope their family members will stay calm and cooperate with us. We
understand their concern and are making efforts to get the captives released as
soon as possible.

"However, we are not able to predict when this will happen," she
said.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the National Security Council Muhamad
Hatta Abdul Aziz said the three Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) vessels sent to
provide protection to five MISC tankers plying the route had arrived in the area
and were prepared to commence operations.

On Sept 4, the RMN patrol vessel KD Pahang sailed out to the Gulf of Aden,
which is exposed to the piracy threat, to assist in the operations to protect
the MISC ships.

Earlier, the RMN had sent out two battleships, KD Lekiu and KD Inderapura,
on the same mission.