Somali pirates on the early morning hours of Thursday of 29^th July released the Maltese flagged merchant vessel MV FRIGIA that they were holding.

The ship was hijacked on 23 March 2010 approximately 1000 nautical miles east of the Northern Somali coastline according to a press release that was released to media houses by the European Union naval force in Somalia (EUNAVFOR).

The ship with a dead weight of approximately 35,000 tonnes was with a crew of 21, 19 of them were Turks and two Ukrainians.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of ‘African Union Mission in Somalia’ (AMISOM), and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Ransom hunting Somali pirates have caused havoc at the Gulf of Aden where they hijack ships and marine vessels that access the Indian Ocean and demand millions of dollars in terms of ransom from the ship owners.

News Report By Abdulaziz Billow
Abdulaziz Billow is AfrobeatRadio’s correspondent for East Africa.