In late August, the United States established a security corridor in the
Gulf of Aden to prevent piracy. But officials said the U.S.-led
multi-national force failed to spot the attackers.
About 20,000 ships per year sail through the Gulf of Aden. In 2008,
pirates based in Somalia have seized 30 vessels, including those from Gulf
Cooperation Council states, and held them for ransom.
Industry sources said the hijacked ship, owned by Malaysia's national
carrier MISC, was carrying 30,000 tons of petrochemicals. The ship, with a
crew of 41, was said to have been sailing from Singapore to Saudi Arabia.
Somali pirates have contacted MISC. The sources said the pirates
demanded $4.7 million for the release of Bunga Melati-5 and its sister ship,
Bunga Melati Dua.
Yemen has sought to deploy a 40-vessel coast guard financed by the
United States. Sanaa has urged the Bush administration to increase the
Yemeni maritime force to patrol its nearly 2,000 kilometers of coast.