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Somali pirates release Greek tanker wand its crew captured last year

The capture of the Smyrni was one of the latest attacks by Somali pirates on large tankers off the Horn of Africa

PRETORIA, March 11 (Itar-Tass) – Somali pirates have released the Greek tanker Smyrni, which was seized in May of last year in the Arabian Sea with one million barrels of crude oil aboard, its owner, Dynacom Tankers Management, said on Monday, March 11.

“We are very pleased to report that the MT SMYRNI has been released after ten months in the captivity of Somali pirates,” the company said in a statement.

“All of the crew are safe and well and the vessel is proceeding to a port of refuge,” it said.

The company thanked “the crew, their families, our employees and those agencies that have provided support through this long ordeal.”

The ship with a 26-member crew – 14 Filipinos, 11 Indians and one Romanian – is on its way to India.

The company did not say whether any ransom had been paid for the release of the tanker and its crew. According to Reuters, the pirates were paid 9.5 million U.S. dollars.

The capture of the Smyrni was one of the latest attacks by Somali pirates on large tankers off the Horn of Africa.

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