Pirates of the Indian Ocean free Chemical tanker
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Liberian Chemical tanker and crew freed from Somali pirates.
28 crew from the MT Biscaglia were returned to their families unharmed from the Somali pirates of the Indian Ocean.
The vessel was captured on 28 November 2008, in the Gulf of Aden, with 3 Bangladeshis and 25 Indians aboard.
Two British security guards and an Irishman jumped overboard, and were later rescued by helicopters operating as part of an international naval coalition patrolling the region.
The ship was eventually released on Friday 23 January, in the early hours, confirmed an anonymous diplomat. Owners were not immediately available for comment.
Somali pirates were responsible for the hijacking of a staggering total of more than 100 ships in 2008. This included a vessel loaded with tanks and arms from the Ukraine, which is still in the possession of the pirates.
Most of the vessels hijacked have been returned after a ransom has been paid, but the Somalis still have more than a dozen in possession.
The groups of pirates are said to be made up of three different types of members: ex-fishermen, for their knowledge of the ocean, ex-militia, for their knowledge gained in Somali clan fights, and technical experts, for their knowledge of hi-tech equipment such as GPS and satellite phones.
Such is the scale of the problem that world leaders met in Djibouti this week to discuss how to eliminate the problem at an anti-piracy conference. The results of the conference are yet to be confirmed.
