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Somali pirates release British tanker St James Park after ransom drop

14 May 2010 22:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A British chemical tanker held for more than four months in Somalia has been released after the payment of an undisclosed ransom, APA reports quoting â€œTimes Onlineâ€.
â€œOn the morning of 13 May a ransom drop was made to the pirate group holding the St James Park at anchorage at Garacaad,â€ the European Union anti-piracy naval force (EU Navfor) said.
â€œShe is now safely under way and EU Navfor is continuing to monitor the situation,â€ Commander John Harbour said. The tanker is now heading for port in nearby Oman.
Ransom payments can amount to millions of dollars and pirate gangs are quick to release their captives as soon as they have finished counting the cash, which is often parachuted into the sea or on to the shipâ€™s deck from light aircraft.
The 26 multinational crew of the British-flagged St James Park are believed to be safe. The 14,000-tonne chemical tanker was en route from Spain to Thailand within a protected and supposedly safe corridor when it was hijacked by pirates on December 28.
Dozens of warships from the European Union, Nato, a US-led coalition and a number of individual nations patrol the transit corridor in a bid to defend the more than 20,000 ships that steam through the Gulf of Aden every year.
In a statement, the London-based Zodiac Maritime Agencies, operator of the St James Park, confirmed the shipâ€™s release but made no mention of the ransom payment.
â€œM/V St James Park . . . was freed [on Wednesday] afternoon and is currently on route to a safe port of refuge,â€ the company said in a brief statement. â€œAll of the crew are reported unharmed and are well despite their ordeal. All of the crewâ€™s families are being notified.â€
â€œZodiacâ€™s principal concern throughout the hijack has been for the safety and health of the crew aboard the vessel,â€ it added.
Zodiac refused to disclose any details of the shipâ€™s release fearing that it may jeopardise ongoing negotiations for the release of another of their ships, the Asian Glory, a 13,000-tonne car carrier seized in a separate attack a few days after the St James Park.
â€œThe Asian Glory is anchored off the Somali coast. The negotiations with the pirates are ongoing and the company is committed to resolving the hijacking at the earliest opportunity,â€ Zodiac said in a statement.
The Asian Glory and its 25 crew were seized by pirates on New Yearâ€™s Day 620 miles off the Somali coast on its way from South Korea to Saudi Arabia. It was carrying a consignment of Hyundai-Kia cars.
Somali pirates are currently holding about two dozen ships and more than 300 crew for ransom. Among the captives are the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, who have been held for more than six months.