Syawal joy

My brother phoned my mother on the morning of the 1st of Syawal. His ship has safely made it across the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden. He is currently in Egypt en route to Europe via the Suez Canal. His ship and three others owned by MISC were escorted in a convoy by the Royal Malaysian Navy.

While the ships managed to get through, the Somali pirates certainly tried to hijack the Malaysian ships. However, the presence of the navy put them off. I can't write too much about the strategy employed by MISC to fend off the pirates, nor can I write in detail what happened (as told by my brother). This is because as the Chairman of MISC was quoted to say, "I cannot tell what we plan to do, then the pirates will know - they are very Internet-savvy."

It goes without saying that the situation is indeed tensed at the Gulf of Aden with the standoff between pirates and warships. Nonetheless, whatever plans that MISC put in motion did work this time around, and let's hope that things will improve in the troubled waters. My brother's phone call certainly brought shine to my family's Aidilfitri celebration.

On another related note, the news of the release of all the crew members of the hijacked ships owned by MISC on the run-up to Aidilfitri was certainly a happy one, especially to the family members of the hostages. This news certainly is something to be thankful for as we celebrate this important day in the Muslim calendar.