South Korea Pays Pirates $9 Million For Release Of Supertanker

November 8, 2010 · Posted in Business finance 
Windsor Genova – AHN News News Writer

Seoul, South Korea (AHN) – Somali pirates claim they have received $9.5 million in ransom from the owners of a South Korean supertanker they hijacked in April. The pirates have freed the ship together with its 24 crew members.

South Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed Sunday the release from Hobyo, Somalia, of the 300,000-ton Samho Dream the previous day but did not say how much ransom was paid.

A South Korean naval ship is escorting the Samho Dream, which is returning home.

In April, the supertanker was sailing from Iraq to the U.S. with 2 million barrels of oil valued at $170 million when it was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean. The pirates demanded $20 million in exchange for releasing the ship and its five South Korean and 19 Filipino crew members.

Meanwhile, Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the Singapore-registered petroleum and chemical tanker Golden Blessing was also released by Somali pirates.

The ship with 19 Chinese sailors on board was hijacked in June in the Gulf of Aden while sailing from India to Saudi Arabia. A Chinese naval ship escorted the ship away from Qandala, where it was anchored by pirates.

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