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PORT KLANG: The Maritime
Division of the Transport Ministry has been
directed to look at the impact on Malaysia's
shipping industry following the second hijacking
of a MISC Bhd vessel.
Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said he would ask
officers from the ministry’s Maritime Division
to prepare a full report on the issue of
security and how it was affecting the shipping
industry as a whole.
He said the report would take into consideration
the hijacking of the two MISC-owned vessels,
including the MT Bunga Melati Dua which was
hijacked on Aug 19, and also any other similar
cases.
“We have to look at the security problem from an
overall angle and it is especially vital now as
the hijacking of two vessels within just a few
weeks is worrying,” he told a press conference
Monday after a visit to Westport here.
The MT Bunga Melati Lima was carrying 30,000
tonnes of petrochemicals from Yanbu in Saudi
Arabia to Singapore when it was seized on Friday
in the Gulf of Aden.
Ong said he visited the International Maritime
Organisation’s office in London in July and
during the meeting also raised the issue of
safety and security at the ports and also
certain sea routes.
“There are frequent hijacking cases by pirates
in the waters around certain countries and
regions and there has to be a concerted effort
by the international community as a whole to
address the problem,” he said.
He said no one country could ensure the safety
of its ship even if it made sure that all
precautionary measures were taken to avoid such
attacks. |
