Pirates hijack freighter off Somalia's coast

[Still Waters]

Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia, Somali officials and piracy experts said Tuesday, the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel on the crucial global trade route since 2012.

The Aris 13 on Monday reported being approached by two skiffs, John Steed with the organization Oceans Beyond Piracy said. The ship was carrying fuel from Djibouti to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, he said. Eight Sri Lankan crew members were aboard.

An official in the semiautonomous state of Puntland said over two dozen men boarded the ship off Somalia's northern coast, an area known to be used by weapons smugglers and members of the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/pirates-hijack-freighter-off-somalias-coast-officials-061445271.html

[Still Waters]

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Somali maritime forces and pirates on board a hijacked oil tanker have started shooting at each other, according to reports.

The ship - the Aris 13 - is anchored off the Somali coast near the town of Alula.

Eight Sri Lankan crew were on the vessel when it was taken over on Monday and most of them were being held captive in a locked room.

An official said: "We tried to intercept a boat that was carrying supplies to the pirates, but pirates on the ship fired on us and so the pirate boat escaped."

http://news.sky.com/story/pirates-fire-shots-from-hijacked-aris-13-oil-tanker-off-somalia-10803476

 

[Still Waters]

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Somali pirates who hijacked an oil tanker have released it without condition, according to officials.

The announcement came hours after the pirates and naval forces exchanged gunfire over a boat believed to be carrying supplies to the hijackers.

A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment, according to Reuters.

However, John Steed, a former British army officer who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in Somalia, told the AFP news agency they had been made an offer they could not refuse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39295936