Thaindian News

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) — Somali pirates on Thursday morning released the Bulgarian-flagged chemical product tanker Panega, European and Bulgarian officials confirmed. The ship, which was released east of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, had been hijacked since May 11.

The Panega, with a dead weight of 5,848 tons and a Bulgarian crew of 15, was hijacked on May 11 about 100 nautical miles east of Aden in Yemen. On Thursday, at approximately the same location, the ship was released.

Both the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) confirmed the ship had been released. “Representatives of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the fifteen sailors were in a good health and none of them need urgent medical care,” a statement from the Ministry said.

The Ministry said it would send a consular official to meet the freed crew members when they arrive at a port and help them get the necessary documents for their return to Bulgaria. It further said Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has spoken with the relatives of the crew members.

It was not immediately clear if ransom had been paid to the pirates.

Also on Thursday morning, U.S. Marines boarded and seized control of a German-owned commercial vessel off the coast of Somalia. The vessel had been hijacked by Somali pirates the day before.

The operation began at approximately 5 a.m. local time when 24 U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force aboard the USS Dubuque boarded the Antigua-Barbuda-flagged, German-owned vessel M/V Magellan Star as it was under pirate control.

It was a rare scene of military action against Somali pirates, who have captured scores of vessels in the past few years in order to collect ransom from their owners. Usually such hijackings end without casualties when ransom is finally paid, and a NATO official told BNO News that hostages are usually treated ‘well’ by their captors.

On April 8, 2009, a group of four Somali pirates hijacked the American-flagged MV Maersk Alabama southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl. On April 12, 2009, the hijacking ended when U.S. forces stormed the vessel and freed all hostages. Three pirates were killed, while a fourth was taken to the United States to stand trial.

Thursday’s military action, however, ended without a single shot being fired and all nine pirates were taking into custody, pending further disposition. No injuries were reported among the crew, nor the U.S. Marines.

“United from the multi-national maritime force, under Combined Task Force 151, are actively engaged in anti-piracy operations,” said Turkish Navy Rear Adm. Sinan Ertugrul. “This regional problem, truly, has global impact and we are completely committed to bringing the disruptive acts of piracy to an end. We have full support of the international community and will continue to do everything possible to bring security to the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.”