Mogadishu, Sept 29. (dpa/GNA) – Security forces from the Somali region of Puntland, have freed the oil tanker Honour 25 and its crew from pirates, after several months of captivity, a spokesman for the region said on Tuesday.
Several pirates were detained and some wounded in an exchange of fire, the spokesman said.
The tanker, sailing under the flag of Palau with a crew drawn mainly from Pakistan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, was hijacked on April 21 while en route to the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Pirates had reportedly demanded $3 million in ransom for the ship, its cargo and crew.
Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have increased this year, after peaking in the 2000s.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has warned of a significantly heightened threat level in Somali waters.
GA