KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The second Malaysian oil tanker and the crew hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by Somali pirates were released on Monday, local media reported.

    MT Bunga Melati Dua, which belongs to the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), was released on early Monday morning, Malaysia's national news agency Bernama said.

    The ship was heading towards Djibouti with all the crew in good health except for a Filipino sailor who was killed by a stray bullet when the ship was taken hostage on Aug. 19, Bernama quoted Malaysian Defense Ministry spokesperson Fadzlette Othman Merican as saying.

    Two days ago, another MISC tanker MT Bunga Melati Lima and 41 crew that was hijacked in the same region by Somali pirates, was already released.

    Fadzlette said that MISC paid a ransom of 2 million U.S. dollars for each vessel.

    MT Bunga Melati Dua, with a crew of 39, including 29 Malaysians, was hijacked in the gulf on Aug. 19 and one of the Filipino crew was killed by a stray bullet.

    Ten days later, MT Bunga Melati Lima with 36 Malaysian and five Filipino crew encountered the same fate while sailing from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia to Singapore.

    Malaysia sent three navy ships and commandos to the gulf following the two hijacking incidents.