Somali pirates free German ship

2008-07-09 15:30

Bosasso - Somali pirates have freed a German ship hijacked more than a month ago off the Horn of Africa after its owners paid a $750 000 ransom, local officials and one of the pirates said on Wednesday.

The MV Lehman Timber was seized by gunmen on May 28 in the Gulf of Aden and taken to Eyl, a small fishing port in Somalia's relatively peaceful northern region of Puntland.

"An English-speaking captain came and gave us $750 000," one of the pirates, who gave his name as Hassan, said.

"We took the ransom and disembarked late on Tuesday, leaving five Russians, four Panamanians, two Ukrainians and three other Asian crew members on board," he said.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the ransom had been paid by an unidentified shipping agency on behalf of the vessel's owners.

Ransom payment 'encourage' piracy

He said the ship was now safe in international waters, but was running short of food, drinking water and fuel. Abdullahi Said Nur, the mayor of Eyl, said residents saw the pirates pass through town after the transaction was complete.

"Another ship came and offered them the money," Nur said. "Then the pirates passed us on foot and took cars that were waiting for them on the outskirts. They headed towards Garowe."

Puntland's deputy minister of ports and fisheries, Abdikadir Muse Yusuf, condemned the ransom payment, saying it would encourage piracy in one of the world's most dangerous waterways.

Hijackings were common in the shipping lanes off Somalia, but pirates often treated hostages well in the hope of hefty ransoms.

In Garowe, some relatives of the pirates were said to have left for Eyl in the hope of getting money from the hijackers.

"People have no jobs here and are desperate. I think that's why piracy cannot end," said one local man in Garowe who asked not to be named.

- Reuters