Leading owner MISC Berhad has reported another tanker hijacking by Somali pirates.

It says the latest incident took place on August 29.

The chemical tanker Bunga Melati 5 was carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemicals from Yanbu in Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it was seized in international waters off the coast of Yemen, said an MISC in a statement.

The Bunga Melati 5 had 41 crew on board at the time of the incident.

“MT Bunga Melati 5 was sailing within the vicinity of the designated security corridor. The vessel attempted evasive manoeuvring before being overpowered by the hijackers,” said MISC.

“The coalition (naval) forces within the vicinity were alerted but were unable to prevent the hijacking as safety of the crew onboard is of priority.”

It was the second hijacking of an MISC tanker in less than a month. The MT Bunga Melati Dua was hijacked with 39 crew onboard on August 19 between Somalia and Yemen.

Gunmen have hijacked at least 30 ships in the area so far this year, according to figures quoted by the news agency Reuters.