Sunday, January 11, 2009

Sirius Star pirates drown

The Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, hijacked last November by Somali pirates, was freed on Friday after a ransom reported to be $3 million was paid. The Saudi Gazette says the crew of 25 are safe and now sailing the vessel to Dammam, on the Persian Gulf.

Meanwhile, five of the pirates who had been holding the tanker are said to have drowned while heading for home in their small boat. AP reports that a body washed ashore with his share of the loot on his person. The article says that, "Local resident Omar Abdi Hassan said one of the bodies had been found on a beach near the coastal town of Haradhere and relatives were searching for the other four." Hassan went on to say that,"He had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket."

Rough weather may have caused the craft to capsize as they fled to their base in Somalia. Three pirates made it to shore but without their shares of the prize.

US Navy photo below shows the air drop of the ransom, a means of delivery that Kenyan piracy expert Andrew Mwangura had earlier described.

1 comment:

Russ Greene said...

Have you looked into Nigerian piracy?