Somali pirates free hijacked vessel: security sources

Somali government coast guards patrol the coast of Mogadishu, Somalia, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 to keep a watch for pirates who hijack ships off the coast . Somalia's weak government struggles to control even the small area of the capital it holds and piracy is rampant. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali pirates have freed a vessel they hijacked in April with its 17-men crew and used as a mothership, security sources in the Somali state of Puntland told AFP adding a ransom was paid.

The Gulf of Aden and Somalia coasts have seen a resurgence in piracy since April, according to figures from the International Maritime Organization, with at least 15 attacks off this year, the highest since 2013.

The MV Sward was hijacked on April 26 by armed men off the Somali coast with a crew of 15 Syrian and two Indian nationals onboard, who were held hostages.

The pirates used the vessel to capture at least two Iranian fishing vessel and Cameroon-flagged cargo ship MV Lutuf.

“They have released the SWARD near Garacad”, a port in Puntland, a semi-autonomous territory on the north-eastern coast of Somalia, a Puntland security source told AFP.

“The crew are still on board but the pirates made their way to the shore and entered multiple vehicles, then entered” Garacad, he said, “they received money to release the ship”, the source added without giving a figure.

Vehicles were waiting for the pirates on shore before they reach Garacad, “meaning they might have been in contact with their network on land while out at sea”, another Puntland security source said.

Two other Puntland security sources confirmed these details to AFP.

Puntland security sources told AFP end of August that a ransom of US$2.5 million dollars was paid to release the M/V Lutuf and US$40,000 dollars were paid to release both the Iranian fishing boats.

Somalia’s federal government has said the Lutuf was released after “sustained military pressure” by Turkish navy and Somalia armed forces during which four boats used by the pirates were destroyed and 14 pirates were killed.

Four commercial vessels are currently held by Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia: tankers Honour 25, Eureka, Asana and Seamull.

The United States sanctioned the Seamull tanker in December last year as one of the vessels in Iran’s “shadow fleet” accused of exporting Iranian oil using deceptive shipping practices.