The vessel and its crew of 29 Malaysian and 10 Philippine nationals, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on August 19.

Another vessel, Bunga Melati 5, seized 10 days later in the same area, was released on Saturday.

According to reports, the vessels, owned by the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation, were released after a ransom of $2 million was paid for each ship. However, official sources refused to confirm the information.

Somali pirates are currently holding a Ukrainian ship, its crew, and its cargo of 33 tanks off the coast of the east African state.

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RUSSIAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINE MAKES 30-DAY TRIP UNDER ARCTIC ICE

MOSCOW _ A Russian Delta-III class ballistic missile submarine has successfully sailed from a naval base in northern Russia to the Pacific Ocean under the Arctic ice floe, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The Ryazan strategic nuclear submarine arrived at a naval base on the Kamchatka Peninsula after a more than 30-day underwater trip," Capt. 1st rank Igor Dygalo said.

Ryazan is a Project 667BDR (Delta III class) strategic nuclear submarine, which entered service with Russia's Northern Fleet in 1982. It has a crew of 130 and can travel underwater without coming to the surface for up to 90 days.

The submarine is armed with 16 R-29RM (SS-N-23 Skiff) ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km (about 5,000 miles).

Commenting on the submarine's successful mission, Russian Navy Commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said it had reaffirmed the Russian submarine fleet's ability to conduct strategic missions in the Arctic.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Ryazan, which was previously part of Russia's Northern Fleet, will be reassigned to the Pacific Fleet and will patrol the Pacific Ocean on a regular basis.

With the addition of the Ryazan SSBN, Russia's Pacific Fleet will have 10 Delta III class ballistic missile submarines in service.

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RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR LEAVES GEORGIA

TBILISI, Georgia _ Russian Ambassador Vyacheslav Kovalenko left Georgia along with 22 embassy officials on Tuesday, a month after Tbilisi severed diplomatic ties with Moscow.

Relations were broken off after a short military conflict with Russia over South Ossetia in August and Russia's subsequent recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the other Georgian breakaway republic.

"Several diplomats will stay here (in Tbilisi).