Somali pirates have freed a vessel they hijacked in April with its 17-men crew and used as a mothership, security sources in the Somali state of Puntland told AFP adding a ransom was paid.
The Gulf of Aden and Somalia coasts have seen a resurgence in piracy since April, according to figures from the International Maritime Organisation, with at least 15 attacks off this year, the highest since 2013.
“The crew are still on board but the pirates made their way to the shore and entered multiple vehicles, then entered” Garacad, he said, “they received money to release the ship”, the source added without giving a figure. Vehicles were waiting for the pirates on shore before they reach Garacad, “meaning they might have been in contact with their network on land while out at sea”, another Puntland security source said.
Somalia’s federal government has said the Lutuf was released after “sustained military pressure” by Turkish navy and Somalia armed forces during which four boats used by the pirates were destroyed and 14 pirates were killed.
