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Mogadishu,
February 27, 2010 (SL Times) – A ransom was delivered to Somali pirates
on Friday for the release of the Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker MV
Pramoni hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on January 1, maritime officials
said.
Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance
Programme said the ransom money had been delivered to the ship, but the
vessel had not yet been freed. The EU naval force in the region
confirmed the delivery of the ransom.
Somali pirates told Reuters they planned to release the
Singaporean-flagged vessel soon.
The 24 crew consists of 17 Indonesians, 5 Chinese, one Nigerian and one
Vietnamese.
The number of piracy attacks worldwide leapt almost 40 percent last
year, with gunmen from the failed Horn of Africa state accounting for
more than half the 406 reported incidents, according to the
International Maritime Bureau.
Typically, the heavily armed Somali pirates hold captured ships and
their crews hostage until ransoms are paid.
Source: Reuters, February 26, 2010
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