Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom.

The release followed a gunfight earlier in the day between the pirates and the marine force, and then intensive negotiations between the marine force, clan elders and the pirates.

&quot;There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon ... We pulled our forces back and so the pirates went away,&quot; said Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the maritime police force for Somalia&#39;s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.

A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment. In previous hijackings, many crews remained in captivity for years before a ransom was paid. Eight Iranians are still being held.

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<h5>Pirates have traditionally been wary of tangling with Somalia&#39;s powerful businessmen</h5>
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But the pirates said they agreed to forego a ransom after learning that Somali businessmen had hired the ship, which was taking oil from Djibouti to the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Pirates have traditionally been wary of tangling with Somalia&#39;s powerful businessmen.

&quot;After we came to know that the Somali traders hired the oil tanker, we released it without a ransom,&quot; pirate Abdullahi told Reuters.

The release will be seen as a success for the regional Puntland government and its counter-piracy force, which is funded by the United Arab Emirates.

The hijacking was the first time Somali pirates have taken over a commercial ship since 2012 and followed an outpouring of anger by locals over foreign fishermen flooding into their waters. The Somalis are also angry with their government for licensing some of the ships.

The vessel was hijacked on Monday. Residents living near where it was being held said four civilians were injured by stray bullets during Thursday&#39;s gunbattle.

In their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, data from the International Maritime Bureau showed, and held hundreds of hostages.

But attacks fell sharply after crews put safety measures into place and regional naval forces stepped up patrols. Some pirates returned to fishing, and others became involved in smuggling people and weapons across the Red Sea to Yemen.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The pirates said they agreed to forego a ransom after learning that Somali businessmen had hired the ship

Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom. The release followed a gunfight earlier in the day between the pirates and the marine force, and then intensive negotiations between the marine force, clan elders and the pirates. "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon ... We pulled our forces back and so the pirates went away," said Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the maritime police force for Somalia's semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland. A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment. In previous hijackings, many crews remained in captivity for years before a ransom was paid. Eight Iranians are still being held. Pirates have traditionally been wary of tangling with Somalia's powerful businessmen × But the pirates said they agreed to forego a ransom after learning that Somali businessmen had hired the ship, which was taking oil from Djibouti to the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Pirates have traditionally been wary of tangling with Somalia's powerful businessmen. "After we came to know that the Somali traders hired the oil tanker, we released it without a ransom," pirate Abdullahi told Reuters. The release will be seen as a success for the regional Puntland government and its counter-piracy force, which is funded by the United Arab Emirates. The hijacking was the first time Somali pirates have taken over a commercial ship since 2012 and followed an outpouring of anger by locals over foreign fishermen flooding into their waters. The Somalis are also angry with their government for licensing some of the ships. The vessel was hijacked on Monday. Residents living near where it was being held said four civilians were injured by stray bullets during Thursday's gunbattle. In their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, data from the International Maritime Bureau showed, and held hundreds of hostages. But attacks fell sharply after crews put safety measures into place and regional naval forces stepped up patrols. Some pirates returned to fishing, and others became involved in smuggling people and weapons across the Red Sea to Yemen. (Reuters)

Somali pirates release tanker, 8 Lankan crew without ransom

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, Somali authorities said on Tuesday, the first time a commercial ship has been seized in the region since 2012.&nbsp; 
 
Security forces have been sent to free the Aris 13, a regional police official said late on Tuesday.&nbsp;

&quot;We are determined to rescue the ship and its crew. Our forces have set off to Alula. It is our duty to rescue ships hijacked by pirates and we shall rescue it,&quot; Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, director general of Puntland&rsquo;s marine police forces, told Reuters by phone.&nbsp;

Puntland is a semi-autonomous northern region of Somalia. Alula is a port town there where pirates have taken the tanker.

Experts said the ship was an easy target and ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm.&nbsp; 
The Aris 13 sent a distress call on Monday, turned off its tracking system and altered course for the Somali port town of Alula, said John Steed of the aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy.&nbsp;

&quot;The ship reported it was being followed by two skiffs yesterday afternoon. Then it disappeared,&quot; said Steed, an expert on piracy who is in contact with naval forces tracking the ship.&nbsp;

Aircraft from regional naval force EU Navfor were flying overhead to track the ship, he said. The force declined to comment.&nbsp;

The pirates brought the ship to the port town of Alula, district commissioner Mohamud Ahmed Eynab told Reuters by phone.&nbsp;

A pirate called Abdullahi told Reuters by telephone: &quot;We are now heading on boats towards our colleagues holding the ship at Alula. We are carrying water, food and weapons for reinforcement.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The Sri Lankan government said eight Sri Lankan crew were onboard and the ship flew a flag from the Comoros islands.&nbsp;

Data from Reuters systems showed it made a sharp turn just after it passed the Horn of Africa on its voyage from Djibouti to Mogadishu.&nbsp;

The 1,800 deadweight tonne Aris 13 is owned by Panama company Armi Shipping and managed by Aurora Ship Management in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Equasis shipping data website, managed by the French transport ministry.

Mothership 
 
Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private maritime security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said the vessel was an easy target because it was low, slow and close to the coast. 
&nbsp; 
Crews were beginning to relax their vigilance after a period of relative security for shipping, he said.&nbsp;

Now that the ship was captured, Somali authorities must ensure it was contained and not used as a mothership, he said, referring to a hijacked vessel used to launch attacks.&nbsp;

&quot;The way that the authorities react now is crucial,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

In their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, data from the International Maritime Bureau showed, and held hundreds of hostages.

That year, Ocean&#39;s&nbsp;Beyond Piracy estimated the global cost of piracy was about $7 billion. The shipping industry bore roughly 80 percent of those costs, the group&#39;s analysis showed.&nbsp; 
 
But attacks fell sharply after ship owners tightened security and vessels stayed further away from the Somali coast.

There had only been four attempted attacks by Somali pirates in the past three years, the bureau said.&nbsp; 
 
Intervention by regional naval forces that flooded into the area helped disrupt several hijack bids and improved security for the strategic trade route that leads through the Suez Canal and links the oilfields of the Middle East with European ports. 
 
Before Tuesday&#39;s&nbsp;hijacking, only one crew remained captive in Somalia. The crew of 17 Iranians was taken two years ago, but four are believed to have died, four were rescued and one escaped, Steed said, so only eight remained.&nbsp;

&quot;They&#39;re&nbsp;from Baluchistan in Iran,&quot; he said, referring to a violent and restive eastern province. &quot;No one really cares about them.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

If confirmed, Monday's incident would be the first hijack of a commercial ship by Somali pirates since 2012

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, Somali authorities said on Tuesday, the first time a commercial ship has been seized in the region since 2012. Security forces have been sent to free the Aris 13, a regional police official said late on Tuesday. "We are determined to rescue the ship and its crew. Our forces have set off to Alula. It is our duty to rescue ships hijacked by pirates and we shall rescue it," Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, director general of Puntland’s marine police forces, told Reuters by phone. Puntland is a semi-autonomous northern region of Somalia. Alula is a port town there where pirates have taken the tanker. Experts said the ship was an easy target and ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm. The Aris 13 sent a distress call on Monday, turned off its tracking system and altered course for the Somali port town of Alula, said John Steed of the aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy. "The ship reported it was being followed by two skiffs yesterday afternoon. Then it disappeared," said Steed, an expert on piracy who is in contact with naval forces tracking the ship. Aircraft from regional naval force EU Navfor were flying overhead to track the ship, he said. The force declined to comment. The pirates brought the ship to the port town of Alula, district commissioner Mohamud Ahmed Eynab told Reuters by phone. A pirate called Abdullahi told Reuters by telephone: "We are now heading on boats towards our colleagues holding the ship at Alula. We are carrying water, food and weapons for reinforcement." The Sri Lankan government said eight Sri Lankan crew were onboard and the ship flew a flag from the Comoros islands. Data from Reuters systems showed it made a sharp turn just after it passed the Horn of Africa on its voyage from Djibouti to Mogadishu. The 1,800 deadweight tonne Aris 13 is owned by Panama company Armi Shipping and managed by Aurora Ship Management in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Equasis shipping data website, managed by the French transport ministry. Mothership Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the head of private maritime security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said the vessel was an easy target because it was low, slow and close to the coast. Crews were beginning to relax their vigilance after a period of relative security for shipping, he said. Now that the ship was captured, Somali authorities must ensure it was contained and not used as a mothership, he said, referring to a hijacked vessel used to launch attacks. "The way that the authorities react now is crucial," he said. In their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, data from the International Maritime Bureau showed, and held hundreds of hostages. That year, Ocean's Beyond Piracy estimated the global cost of piracy was about $7 billion. The shipping industry bore roughly 80 percent of those costs, the group's analysis showed. But attacks fell sharply after ship owners tightened security and vessels stayed further away from the Somali coast. There had only been four attempted attacks by Somali pirates in the past three years, the bureau said. Intervention by regional naval forces that flooded into the area helped disrupt several hijack bids and improved security for the strategic trade route that leads through the Suez Canal and links the oilfields of the Middle East with European ports. Before Tuesday's hijacking, only one crew remained captive in Somalia. The crew of 17 Iranians was taken two years ago, but four are believed to have died, four were rescued and one escaped, Steed said, so only eight remained. "They're from Baluchistan in Iran," he said, referring to a violent and restive eastern province. "No one really cares about them." (Reuters)

Somali pirates hijack first commercial ship since 2012

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Somali pirates release tanker, 8 Lankan crew without ransom

Somali pirates hijack first commercial ship since 2012