Somali pirates release hijacked tanker without ransom

Somali pirates on Thursday released the fuel tanker Aris 13 and its crew, the EU Naval Force (Somalia) confirmed.

The crew were set free with no injuries after being held hostage for four days.

This was also confirmed by the director general of the maritime police force of Somalia’s Puntland region, Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan who said the forces pulled back to allow the pirates to go away.

The Comoros-flagged tanker was released without a ransom being paid, according to Reuters. What prompted this this kind of release was the fact that the tanker was hired by a Somali businessman, the news agency cited a pirate saying.

Prior to the release, pirates and maritime police force exchanged fire before engaging in negotiations on Thursday.