MV Hannibal II has been released from pirate control as another MV, Sinar Kudus, is captured and used as a mothership
The
MV Hannibal II was reported to have been released from Somali pirate control after holding it for more than four months. It has been stated that a $2 million ransom was paid to free the Panama-flagged chemical tanker and its crew of 30 (23 Tunisians, 4 Filipinos, 1 Croat, 1 Georgian, 1 Russian and 1 Moroccan), although pirates claim they received a ransom of $7 million, states a report from
Somaliareport.com.
MV Hannibal II is en route to Djibouti with a naval escort.
The crew originally consisted of 31, however, in an unprecedented action by the pirates, a crew member was released through medical evacuation for suspected appendicitis on December 17, 2010 where he was taken to the French hospital in Djibouti. The mainly Tunisian crew will return to an almost new country following the recent troubles in the region.
The vessel was hijacked 860nm East of the Horn of Africa on November 11, 2010 as it transited from the Suez to Malaysia.
Hannibal II has been used in the past as a mothership for Pirate Action Group operations in the Somali Basin and Indian Ocean region.
The
MV Sinar Kudus, reported hijacked as of March 16, is an almost immediate replacement for the freed
Hannibal II.
Sinar Kudus has already been involved in mothership operations in the region. See OCEANUS
Live report.
(MV Hannibal II image source: eunavfor )
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