Somali pirates free UK-flagged tanker after ransom paid

Somali pirates free UK-flagged tanker after ransom paid. The St James Park was seized in the Gulf of Aden Somali pirates have released a British-flagged ship with 26 crew on board after a ransom was paid, the EU anti-piracy mission (Eunavfor) says. Its statement says the ransom was dropped to the pirates holding the St James Park chemical tanker at Somalia's port of Garacaad on Thursday. The statement did not say how much money was paid. The vessel was on its way from Spain to Thailand when it was seized on 28 December in the Gulf of Aden.

"On the morning of May 13 a ransom drop was made to the pirate group holding the St James Park at anchorage at Garacaad," Eunavfor said. It said the ship "is now safely under way and Eunavfor is continuing to monitor the situation", without providing any further details. The 13,924-tonne ship's 26 crew hail from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Georgia, India, Turkey and the Philippines. It was carrying a cargo of chemicals used to make plastics when it was seized.

Pirate attacks have been common off the Somali coast and international navies have been deployed to counter them. Correspondents say the upsurge in piracy in the region is a consequence of the failure to find a solution to Somalia's continuing political disarray.

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