Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 VOA News Maritime officials say Somali pirates have released a German-owned chemical tanker with its crew of 22, more than seven months after seizing the vessel.
The Marshall-islands flagged tanker was seized in May about 200 kilometers south of Oman by pirates firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
The crew consists of 19 Indians, two Bangladeshis and one Ukrainian.
Also Tuesday, Somali pirates seized
EU maritime officials say the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship was carrying petroleum products from the United Arab Emirates to Greece. The vessel has a crew of seven Filipinos and one Romanian.
Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of vessels in recent years, taking in tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments from ship owners.
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