Somali pirates that hijacked the bunker tanker Aris 13 in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday have demand a ransom according to EU Naval Force (EU Navfor).

EU Navfor said it had received confirmation from the Master of the Comoros-flagged tanker that the vessel and its crew were being held captive by armed pirates in an anchorage off the North Coast of Puntland.

“The master confirmed that armed men were on board his ship and they were demanding a ransom for the ship’s release. The EU Naval Force has now passed the information regarding the incident to the ship’s owners,” EU Navfor said.

According to the naval force the tanker was attacked shortly after a mayday from the master that two skiffs were closing in on the vessel.

“Upon receipt of the mayday alert, an EU Naval Force maritime patrol aircraft was launched from its base in Djibouti to overfly the tanker and make radio contact with the ship’s master. Despite hailing the ship several times, no contact was made and the situation on board remained unclear until late this (Tuesday) afternoon, when the EU Naval Force operational HQ in London was able to make telephone contact with the ship’s master.”

The first successful hijacking by Somali pirates of a merchant vessel since 2012 will spark concerns of a resurgence of piracy in the region which hit crisis proportions in 2009 – 2011. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) warned in its 2016 annual report: “The IMB PRC (Piracy Reporting Centre) believes that a single successful hijacking of a merchant vessel, will rekindle the Somali’ pirates desire to resume their piracy efforts.</s>Image copyright Mohamed Deeq - SBC Image caption It was not immediately clear if the hijackers were fishermen or professional pirates

Somali pirates who hijacked an oil tanker have released it without condition, according to officials.

The announcement came hours after the pirates and naval forces exchanged gunfire over a boat believed to be carrying supplies to the hijackers.

The tanker, which was en route from Djibouti to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was seized on Monday with eight Sri Lankan crew members on board.

It is the first hijack off Somalia's coast since 2012.

Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime police force, said: "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight this afternoon... We took our forces back and thus the pirates went away."

The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said the crew members were released "unharmed, without the payment of a ransom".

A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment, according to Reuters.

However, John Steed, a former British army officer who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in Somalia, told the AFP news agency they had been made an offer they could not refuse.

Mr Hassan earlier said that "pirates" on board the tanker had opened fire on Thursday after authorities tried to intercept a boat believed to be carrying essential supplies, such as food.

Four people were wounded in the exchange of fire on Thursday, the BBC has learned.

The Puntland authorities deployed local forces in the area in an attempt to assist rescue efforts for the hostages on board the vessel, the district commissioner said.

The vessel was carrying oil and was owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite conflicting reports over the flag it was sailing under, he added.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The EU anti-piracy naval force pictured off the coast of Mogadishu in 2013

On Wednesday, the European Union anti-piracy naval force, which is helping to tackle piracy in the region, said the hijackers had been demanding a ransom.

Authorities were then still trying to determine whether the gunmen, who have not given any details about the size of the ransom, were organised pirates or fishermen whose equipment was destroyed by illegal fishing vessels, as they had claimed to be.

The EU force earlier made contact with the ship's master, who said his vessel and crew were being held captive anchored off the coast of north-east Somalia. The ship's tracking system has reportedly been switched off.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia, usually for ransom, has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols as well as support for local fishing communities.

At the height of the crisis in 2011, there were 237 attacks and the annual cost of piracy was estimated to be up to $8bn (£7bn).

However, some smaller fishing vessels have recently been seized in the area.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Colin Freeman went to report on the pirates and ended up as their hostage

In 2015, Somali officials warned that piracy could return unless the international community helped create jobs and security ashore, as well as combating illegal fishing at sea.

Some Somali fishermen turned to piracy after their livelihoods were destroyed by illegal fishing from foreign trawlers, which benefited from the lack of a functioning coastguard in the country following years of conflict.</s>Somali Pirates have released the hijacked bunker tanker Aris 13 four days after the ship was taken.

EU Navfor confirmed on Thursday the pirates had left the tanker and that the vessel was on her way to a safe port in Northern Somalia.

The crew of eight were reported to be safe and EU Navfor said the master of the vessel confirmed there had been no injuries during the four day ordeal.

The release of the tanker came after an exchange of fire between the pirates and the Puntland Maritime Police.

“It is understood that members of the Puntland Maritime Police Force assisted with the ship’s release and are currently on board,” EU Navfor said.

According to a report by Reuters one of the pirates said no ransom was paid for the release of the vessel.

The Aris 13 was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden of 13 March. The first successful hijacking since May 2012 by Somali pirates has raised fears about a new surge in piracy in the region.</s>An armed Somali pirate keeping vigil on the coastline near Hobyo, northeastern Somalia on January 4, 2010. PHOTO | AFP

Somali pirates on Thursday handed over an oil tanker and eight Sri Lankan hostages captured just days ago, the Oceans Beyond Piracy NGO told AFP, bringing to a close the first such attack since 2012.

"The Puntland maritime police force freed the ship. They made (the pirates) an offer they couldn't refuse and the pirates have left," said John Steed, a former British army officer with the NGO who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in Somalia.

Earlier on Thursday the Puntland coastguard had threatened to use force if the talks to convince the pirates to release the vessel failed.

Armed attackers seized the Aris 13 on Monday as it made its way from Djibouti to Mogadishu, the first hijacking of a large merchant vessel by Somali pirates since 2012.

Steed said the pirates had left the Aris 13 ship, which was under control of the coast guard and on its way to the port city of Bossaso in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, on the northeastern tip of Somalia.

He was not able to provide more details on the conditions for the release of the vessel.

Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime force, said earlier that a regional governor, who was not named, had been appointed to negotiate with the pirates.

The successful release came after a fierce firefight between the coast guard and armed men aboard a boat believed to be taking food and provisions to the hijacked tanker.

"Our forces were doing a normal routine patrolling around the area when they came under gunfire from these gunmen who were onboard a small skiff and they returned fire," said Hassan.

Steed said an unknown number of people had been injured in the exchange of gunfire.

At the time the tanker was taken it was forced to change course and head toward Puntland. The Aris 13 was about 18 kilometres off the Somali coast when it was attacked, according to Steed.

He said the vessel was not following the "best practices" put in place to avoid piracy, since it was taking a cost- and time-saving route too close to Somalia's coastline, was travelling too slowly and was without an armed escort.

Village elders in Alula where the hijacked vessel first docked, said the pirates had not made clear demands, but claimed to be driven by anger over illegal fishing.</s>An armed Somali pirate walks along the coastline near Hobyo in 2010 (AFP Photo/MOHAMED DAHIR)

Mogadishu (AFP) - Somali pirates on Thursday handed over an oil tanker and eight Sri Lankan hostages captured just days ago, the Oceans Beyond Piracy NGO told AFP, bringing to a close the first such attack since 2012.

"The Puntland maritime police force freed the ship. They made (the pirates) an offer they couldn't refuse and the pirates have left," said John Steed, a former British army officer with the NGO who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in Somalia.

Earlier on Thursday the Puntland coastguard had threatened to use force if the talks to convince the pirates to release the vessel failed.

Armed attackers seized the Aris 13 on Monday as it made its way from Djibouti to Mogadishu, the first hijacking of a large merchant vessel by Somali pirates since 2012.

Steed said the pirates had left the Aris 13 ship, which was under control of the coast guard and on its way to the port city of Bossaso in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, on the northeastern tip of Somalia.

He was not able to provide more details on the conditions for the release of the vessel.

Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime force, said earlier that a regional governor, who was not named, had been appointed to negotiate with the pirates.

The successful release came after a fierce firefight between the coast guard and armed men aboard a boat believed to be taking food and provisions to the hijacked tanker.

"Our forces were doing a normal routine patrolling around the area when they came under gunfire from these gunmen who were onboard a small skiff and they returned fire," said Hassan.

Steed said an unknown number of people had been injured in the exchange of gunfire.

At the time the tanker was taken it was forced to change course and head toward Puntland. The Aris 13 was about 18 kilometres off the Somali coast when it was attacked, according to Steed.

He said the vessel was not following the "best practices" put in place to avoid piracy, since it was taking a cost- and time-saving route too close to Somalia's coastline, was travelling too slowly and was without an armed escort.

Village elders in Alula where the hijacked vessel first docked, said the pirates had not made clear demands, but claimed to be driven by anger over illegal fishing.

"These are fishermen who are infuriated with the illegal fishing off their coasts. They desperately need to show their grievances by seizing the boat," said Abdiwahab Ahmed, an elder in Alula.

Somali pirates began staging waves of attacks in 2005, seriously disrupting a major international shipping route and costing the global economy billions of dollars.

At the peak of the piracy crisis in January 2011, 736 hostages and 32 boats were held.

Though anti-piracy measures ended attacks on commercial vessels, fishing boats have continued to face attacks.

Steed says the international community had taken significant steps to improve security, boosting naval forces in the area and requiring ships to take protection measures.

"Hundreds of pirates were arrested, others gave up, and we hadn't had an attack of a commercial ship for five years," he said.

"But the one thing that's not really been addressed is the real root cause of this, which is poverty and the lack of jobs on the ground. There's also a drought, so there's no food, no water."

Illegal fishing has long been used by Somali pirates as an excuse for attacks and Steed has in the past warned that the presence of foreign vessels emptying Somali waters could reverse the gains against piracy.

"The question wasn't really if an attack was going to happen, the question was when," said Steed.</s>Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and its eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom.

The release followed a gunfight earlier in the day between the pirates and the marine force, and then intensive negotiations between the marine force, clan elders and the pirates.

“There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon … We pulled our forces back and so the pirates went away,” said Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the maritime police force for Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.

A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment. In previous hijackings, many crews remained in captivity for years before a ransom was paid. Eight Iranians are still being held.

But the pirates said they agreed to forego a ransom after learning that Somali businessmen had hired the ship, which was taking oil from Djibouti to the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Pirates have traditionally been wary of tangling with Somalia’s powerful businessmen.

“After we came to know that the Somali traders hired the oil tanker, we released it without a ransom,” pirate Abdullahi told Reuters.

The release will be seen as a success for the regional Puntland government and its counter-piracy force, which is funded by the United Arab Emirates.

The hijacking was the first time Somali pirates have taken over a commercial ship since 2012 and followed an outpouring of anger by locals over foreign fishermen flooding into their waters. The Somalis are also angry with their government for licensing some of the ships.

The vessel was hijacked on Monday. Residents living near where it was being held said four civilians were injured by stray bullets during Thursday’s gunbattle.

In their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, data from the International Maritime Bureau showed, and held hundreds of hostages.

But attacks fell sharply after crews put safety measures into place and regional naval forces stepped up patrols. Some pirates returned to fishing, and others became involved in smuggling people and weapons across the Red Sea to Yemen.</s>Somali pirates who seized a Comoros-flagged oil tanker have released the ship without conditions, officials say.

Security official Ahmed Mohamed told reporters that the pirates have disembarked the ship, which is now heading to Bossaso port, the region's commercial hub.

He said the release occurred after negotiations by local elders and local officials with the pirates, who seized the tanker on Monday.

Naval forces and the pirates clashed earlier on Thursday.

The hijacking of the Comoros-flagged tanker Aris 13 was the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel off Somalia since 2012.</s>Somali pirates who took control of an oil tanker on Monday (13 March) have reportedly released the ship and its crew without ransom, officials said.

The release came several hours after a gunfight on Thursday between naval forces and the pirates, followed by negotiations between the marines and the pirates.

The director general of maritime police force for Somalia's semi autonomous region of Puntland, Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan said: "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight of this afternoon ... We pulled our forces back and so the pirates went away."

The tanker was captured when it was making its way from Djibouti to Mogadishu with eight Sri Lankan crew members.

A pirate said they chose to release the ship without any ransom payment, Reuters reported.

"After we came to know that the Somali traders hired the oil tanker, we released it without a ransom," a pirate named Abdullahi was quoted by Reuters as saying. Pirates are reportedly hesitant about annoying powerful businessmen in Somalia.

According to the BBC, four people were injured in the exchange of fire on Thursday. Officials in Puntland sent local forces to assist in rescue efforts of the hostages on board the vessel.

The ship, owned by the United Arab Emirates, was carrying oil. The release will be viewed as a success for the government of Puntland and its counter-piracy force.

It is the first attempt by pirates to hijack a ship off Somalia's coast since 2012. According to International Maritime Bureau statistics, at the peak of piracy in 2011, the pirates waged at least 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia and held hundreds as hostages.

After naval forces stepped up patrols and put safety measures in place, the number of attacks has reportedly decreased.</s>Naval forces from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in Somalia have exchanged gunfire with pirates who have hijacked oil tanker Aris 13, according to reports.

In the first hijack of a commercial ship by Somali pirates since 2012, the freighter turned off its tracking system and diverted its course towards the Somali coast after sending a distress call upon being approached by high-speed boats on Monday (13 March) .

Eight crew members are still being held on the vessel. The hijackers demanded a ransom for the ship's release late on Tuesday (14 March), the European Union anti-piracy naval force confirmed.

The director general of the maritime force, Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, is quoted by BBC World Service as saying naval forces exchanged gunfire with the hijackers on Thursday.

Citing Hassan, BBC reports the Puntland naval forces tried to intercept a boat that was carrying food supplies to the hijackers, but the attackers on the Aris 13 fired at the naval forces and the supply boat escaped.

The European Union anti-piracy naval force confirmed the vessel and crew are being held captive off the coast, near a town called Alula (Caluula), in north east Somalia.

On Wednesday, families of eight Sri Lankan crew members pleaded for the men to be released unharmed after the hijackers demanded a ransom.

The hijackers are yet to give any details about the size of the ransom.</s>Somali pirates who seized an oil tanker have opened fire on naval troops from the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, sparking clashes between the two sides, an official said.

Clashes started after naval forces tried to stop a boat carrying reinforcement pirates to the ship, said Ali Shire Mohamud, the commissioner of Alula district where the vessel is being held.

Puntland dispatched naval forces to the area after the pirates seized the ship on Monday.

The European Union anti-piracy operation in the region said the pirates are holding the crew captive and demanding a ransom.

The hijacking on Monday was the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel off Somalia since 2012.

International anti-piracy patrols on the crucial trade route had calmed such attacks.

A security official said one soldier was seriously injured in Thursday's clashes involving the Comoros-flagged tanker Aris 13.

The official said pirates on the ship were continuing to receive reinforcements while regional forces mobilise nearby in an effort to free the ship.

A Somali pirate who said he was in touch with the armed men, Bile Hussein, said the pirates moved the ship away from the coast after naval forces approached.

"The ship and crew will remain safe as long as no-one attacks them," Hussein said by phone from an undisclosed location in northern Somalia.

Families of the crew members tearfully pleaded on Wednesday for the men to be released unharmed.

Somali pirates usually hijack ships and crew for ransom. They do not normally kill hostages unless they come under attack.

The ship had been carrying fuel from Djibouti to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, on Monday when it was approached by men in two skiffs and the tanker issued a call for help.
The Somali pirates that hijacked the Aris 13, a United Arab Emirates-owned oil tanker, release it without condition.