Somali pirates release Greek-owned ship

NAIROBI - Somali pirates have released a Greek owned bulk carrier with 24 crew members in the Gulf of Aden, about 490 nautical miles southwest of Oman, EU anti-piracy taskforce said on Thursday.

EU Naval Force spokesman Harrie Harrison said the Cypriot flagged MV Eagle was attacked and pirated early on January 17 by a single skiff, with pirates firing small arms and a Rocket Propelled Grenade before boarding the vessel. ?

Harrison said the ship which is now on her way to a safe port was released on Wednesday off the coast of Somalia following payment of a ransom.

"The Cypriot flagged and Greek owned MV Eagle, deadweight of 52, 163 tonnes and a crew of 24 Filipinos was on passage from Aqabar (Jordan) to Paradip (India) when it was attacked," Harrison said.

Meanwhile, the EU warship disrupted a pirate group earlier on Wednesday some 70 nautical miles South West off Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 miles off the coast of the Horn of Africa nation.

Harrison said the warship, FGS KOLN, stopped and boarded a suspicious group of two small boats, a whaler and skiff.

"A helicopter was sent to inspect the group of boats and 12 people with equipment usually associated with piracy were seen on board. The boats refused to stop when hailed. KOLN's helicopter fired warning shots ahead of the skiff which caused the boat to stop," he said.

Harrison said before the boats could be boarded by teams from FGS KOLN, the crew of the boats started to throw weapons and other items overboard.

He said the skiff, whaler and their engines were destroyed to prevent any potential future use for piracy and the men released close to the shore.

"This disruption has undoubtedly hampered potential pirate action on merchant shipping and vulnerable vessels in the area," Harrison said.

The pirates have intensified their action in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden and most of hijackings end without casualties when a ransom has been paid, but often after several months of negotiations.

The Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Somalia and Yemen, is the main sea route between Europe and Asia. Tankers carrying Middle East oil through the Suez Canal must pass first through the Gulf of Aden.

Pirate gangs operating along Somalia's 1,900-mile-long (3,100- kilometer) coastline have become increasingly audacious over the past two years, hijacking dozens of merchant ships and their crews to earn ransoms that can top 1 million US dollars per ship.

So far the fledgling government has not dared go after the pirate strongholds, since pirate leaders have more power than the beleaguered Somali government.