Somali pirates free Japanese-owned ship

[unhappycamper]

Somali pirates free Japanese-owned ship
By Katharine Houreld - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 13, 2009 7:34:14 EST

NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates have released a Japanese-owned cargo ship and its 23 crew members after nearly three months in captivity, a diplomat said Friday.

The Nairobi, Kenya-based diplomat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the ship carrying unidentified chemicals was released Thursday night.

The MV Chemstar Venus, owned by a Japanese shipping company and registered in Panama, was seized by armed Somali gunmen on Nov. 15 in the Gulf of Aden. On board were five South Koreans and 18 Filipinos.

Thursday’s release came as a maritime watchdog warned on Friday that the pirate attacks off Somalia have risen sharply as weather improved. Piracy off Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, peaked between September and November last year. Somali pirates, seeking multimillion-dollar ransoms, launched 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels last year, mostly in the Gulf of Aden.

Also Friday, the Russian navy said its heavy missile cruiser Peter The Great had detained 10 Somali pirates who were closing in on an Iranian-flagged fishing trawler Thursday. Military prosecutors were interviewing the men, who were caught with rifles, grenade-launchers, illegal narcotics and a large sum of money, the navy said.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_pirates_ship_freed_021309/%2e