SECOND MISC SHIP FREED

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- The second Malaysian International
Shipping Corporation (MISC) tanker, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Somali
pirates, has been freed.

Defence Ministry director of public relations, Colonel Fadzlette
Othman
Merican told Bernama that the vessel, MT Bunga Melati Dua was released at 4.14am
today and was now heading towards Djibouti, East Africa, with all the crew in
good health except for a Filipino sailor who was shot dead in a crossfire when
the ship was taken hostage on Aug 19.

She said a ransom of U$D 2 million per vesssel had been paid by MISC and
both ships would undergo a change in crew at Djibouti before departing for
Malaysia on Oct 4.

"There were a few ships that had paid the ransom but yet to be
released...they (the pirates) gave us priority," she added.

On Sunday, the pirates released MT Bunga Melati Lima and both vessels, it
is learnt, are being escorted by Malaysian warships, the KD Lekiu and KD Sri
Inderapura 2 to Djibouti.

On Sunday, after the release of the first tanker Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Defence Minister revealed that negotiations
were on-going for the release of MT Bunga Melati Dua.

The MT Bunga Melati Dua, with a crew of 39 -- 29 Malaysian and the rest
Filipinos -- was hijacked in the gulf, where maritime piracy is rampant, on Aug
19.

One of the Filipino crew was killed when hit by a stray bullet, when
the ship was taken over by pirates.

Ten days later, the MT Bunga Melati Lima, with 36 Malaysian and five
Filipino crew encountered the same fate while sailing from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
to Singapore.

Malaysia had sent KD Lekiu, KD Inderapura, and KD Pahang to escort MISC
ships sailing in the risky waters following the two hijacking incidents.