Somali pirates release chemical tanker and crew

09 October 2008 19:07  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Somali pirates have freed a chemical tanker and its entire crew, according to media reports on Thursday.

The report in the Times of India said the pirates freed the M/T Irene that was seized on 21 August in the Gulf of Aden, which has become the most dangerous body of water in the world.

A Philippine government official was quoted as saying that the vessel was now en route to the port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Fifteen of the 19 crew were Filipino, and all crewmembers were reported to be safe.

The Japanese-operated, Panama-flagged tanker was carrying around 10,000 tonnes of flammable products as it travelled to India from France, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said when it was hijacked.

A ransom of $1.6m (€1.2m) may have been paid for the release of the men, according to Aljazeera.net.

A Reuters report quoted an assistant fisheries minister for Somalia's northern region of Puntland, who said the ransom was paid, without elaborating.

The Philippine government's Department of Foreign Affairs provided no information on the hijacking on its website.

Irene was the second chemical tanker hijacked by pirates in recent months.

The M/T Stolt Valor, a Hong Kong-operated ship, was seized on 15 September and remains held by the pirates.

Two other vessels, the MV Stella Maris and MV Centauri, are also still being held. The Stella Maris was seized on 20 July and the Centauri on 17 September.

The waters off Somalia's coast have become such a high-risk zone for shippers that the Philippines recently agreed to double the pay for its seafarers when transiting the Gulf of Aden.

Somalia has no central government and has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991.

Piracy there is a lucrative business supported by armed militias. At least 40 ships have been hijacked off the Somali coast this year, with 133 seafarers still held hostage.

Earlier this week, the UN Security Council called for a joint naval operation against the pirates, who have reaped millions in ransoms this year and pushed up insurance costs.

Chemicals shipping organisation Intertanko joined in mid-September BIMCO, Intercargo and the International Chamber of Shipping to formally request that the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) back an increased naval force to protect the lives of seafarers in the region.

The highest profile hijacking to date occurred when pirates hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian freighter, the MV Faina, on 25 September.

Pirates reportedly demanded a ransom of $35m but have since come down to $8m, the International Herald Tribune reported

($1 = €0.73)

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Author: Lane Kelley
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