As an ex-seafarer, I am greatly relieved to hear that two Malaysian ships hijacked off the coast of Somalia have been released after close to one month in captivity. This is a very positive development, what more at this auspicious Hari Raya period.

Indeed, many may argue that it is not proper for ransom to be paid to these brigand of marauders who have no respect for international norms nor laws, but, in a situation where our ships are already in their hands and the lives of her crew members are at the whims and fancies of rogue criminals who blatantly disregard the dignity of human life, in my mind, very little else can be done to avoid unintended bloodshed and the loss of innocent lives.

It is also appropriate to extend our congratulations to the Royal Malaysian Navy for being quick to despatch three of our vessels to the troubled Gulf of Aden, a definitive sign to the pirates and hijackers that we truly mean business and, should all else fail, we are not averse to using whatever force at our disposal to get our crew members out unharmed.

I believe that this combined strategy of "negotiation", coupled with our naval presence close to the shores of Somalia, may have been a potent force to expedite the release of the ship and her crew.

For the uninitiated, let me clarify that merchant ships are purely meant to carry goods and the people serving on board are not able to do much once they see rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers aimed at their ship's body along with machine gun being fired rapidly at the ship. The catastrophe that would occur should the RPG be triggered and hit the ship is not worth it (the fact that both ships are tankers loaded with chemicals made it worse).

Most probably, this is why the captains of both ships, despite adhering to the recommended "security route" when traversing the location and after taking the appropriate evasive action upon being accosted by the pirates, decided to comply with their dictates and let their vessels be boarded and commandeered to their lair close to the Somali coast.

The Gulf of Aden is the most economically accepted route for vessels heading towards and coming from the Suez Canal on their way to Europe, and, as such, is used by almost 20,000 ships annually. Now that the pirates/hijackers are getting more bold in their actions, it is imperative that new co-ordinated naval measures be formulated by the international community to counter their nefarious activities.

A solution would be for merchant ships passing the area to schedule their movements and sail in a convoy whilst escorted by naval vessels. For now, this appears to be the only viable way to secure safe passage of merchant ships.

To the navy - I acknowledge the sacrifice of its men and women on the three vessels currently patrolling the Gulf of Aden during this festive period. Their noble deed is indeed reflective of our nation's resolve to protect our assets in peace and war.

Syabas to all involved!