Somali pirates free Spanish boat crew for ransom
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Twenty-six crew members of a Spanish fishing boat, seized off Somalia by pirates last Sunday, were freed for a ransom of 1.2 million dollars, according to a Somali official. (Report: N.Rushworth)
The tuna fishing boat Playa de Bakio, seized by pirates last Sunday 200 miles off the lawless Horn of Africa nation, was now heading for the
It was the third release this month of a vessel seized by Somali pirates in the world’s most dangerous shipping zone.
A Dubai-flagged ship was rescued by Somali troops on Tuesday and French commandos earlier this month swooped on pirates who had hijacked a luxury yacht.
Suspected Somali pirates also fired on a Japanese-flagged chemical carrier off
The crew of the Playa de Bakio comprises 13 Spaniards and 13 Africans.
“The boat was released around 4 p.m. (1300 GMT). We have been informed by our intelligence services that the pirates were given $1.2 million, which was brought in a small boat,” Abdisalam Khalif Ahmed, chairman of Haradhere port local authority in central
“We also understand that the pirates arrived at El-Hud village, where they hired cars that took them away,” he said.
El-Hud is near Haradhere, which in turn is close to the area where the tuna boat was seized.
She did not say whether a ransom had been paid but added that “the government and the owners have collaborated to find a solution to such a complicated situation”.
It was estimated that the boat would arrive in
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