Min-Fadhli-Rabii
Junior Member
:salam2:
Somali pirates say they had received a record ransom of $9.5 million for the release of Samho Dream, a South Korean oil supertanker they hijacked in the Indian Ocean in early April this year. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Pirates receive record ransom Enlarge photo Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, confirmed the supertanker was free, and that a Singapore-registered ship with 19 Chinese sailors onboard hijacked in June in the Gulf of Aden had also been released.
The Samho Dream, which can carry more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, was hijacked and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos taken hostage, while carrying as much as $170 million worth of crude oil from Iraq to the United States.
Somalia has lacked an effective central government for almost two decades and is awash with weapons. The mayhem on land has allowed piracy to boom in the strategic waterways off its shores linking Europe to Asia and Africa.
The hijacked vessels are taken to the Somali coast and held until money is paid, although negotiations can take months.
"I can confirm Samho Dream is now free, but still in Somali waters," said Mwangura, who is based in the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. "It is a large ship and it's unlikely that it can dock in Mombasa, maybe it will dock somewhere along South Africa's coast or elsewhere to replenish its supplies."
It was not immediately clear how much ransom had been paid for the Singapore-registered Golden Blessing. The ship was seized on its way from Saudi Arabia to India. Mwangura said the actual ransoms would be confirmed later.
Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101106/twl-pirates-receive-record-ransom-41f21e0.html
Pirates receive record ransom
Somali pirates say they had received a record ransom of $9.5 million for the release of Samho Dream, a South Korean oil supertanker they hijacked in the Indian Ocean in early April this year. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Pirates receive record ransom Enlarge photo Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, confirmed the supertanker was free, and that a Singapore-registered ship with 19 Chinese sailors onboard hijacked in June in the Gulf of Aden had also been released.
The Samho Dream, which can carry more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, was hijacked and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos taken hostage, while carrying as much as $170 million worth of crude oil from Iraq to the United States.
Somalia has lacked an effective central government for almost two decades and is awash with weapons. The mayhem on land has allowed piracy to boom in the strategic waterways off its shores linking Europe to Asia and Africa.
The hijacked vessels are taken to the Somali coast and held until money is paid, although negotiations can take months.
"I can confirm Samho Dream is now free, but still in Somali waters," said Mwangura, who is based in the Kenyan Indian Ocean port of Mombasa. "It is a large ship and it's unlikely that it can dock in Mombasa, maybe it will dock somewhere along South Africa's coast or elsewhere to replenish its supplies."
It was not immediately clear how much ransom had been paid for the Singapore-registered Golden Blessing. The ship was seized on its way from Saudi Arabia to India. Mwangura said the actual ransoms would be confirmed later.
Source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101106/twl-pirates-receive-record-ransom-41f21e0.html
