Mogadishu 12,Nov.07 ( Sh.M.Network)-Pirates freed a Japanese chemical tanker loaded with highly explosive benzene off the coast of Somalia Wednesday, six weeks after seizing the vessel and its crew, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

All 22 crewmembers were unhurt and the pirates were seen heading toward the Somali coast, the Navy said.

The Golden Nori was seized off the east coast of Somalia in late October carrying up to 10,000 tons of benzene. The U.S. Navy came to the aid of the vessel when the guided missile destroyer USS Porter opened fire and destroyed pirate skiffs tied to the ship. The Navy continued monitoring the ship afterward.

"All the pirates are off the ship, and the first indication is that all crew members are unharmed," U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. John Gay told The Associated Press.

The 6,253-ton tanker was carrying crew from Myanmar, the Philippines and South Korea. One of the two South Korean crewmembers escaped and was rescued by a passing vessel in early November.

"We feel so relieved," said Yoichi Oda, the Japanese Transport Ministry official in charge of crisis management.

Oda said the Golden Nori, being escorted by U.S. navy vessels, was moving away from Somalia to a safe port in a nearby country. Its destination could not be disclosed, he said, citing safety concerns.

The ship's Japanese owner, Dorval Kaiun K.K., said in a statement that the release was a result of "our persistent negotiation effort, with the help of U.S. and British navies."

On Tuesday, the shipowner had said negotiations were under way to free the remaining crew. The company did not disclose details.
In Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said he was "elated" over the release, according to his spokesman, Claro Cristobal.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Program, said Monday that the hostage takers had demanded $1 million ransom and threatened to kill all 22 crewmembers if their demands were not met.

Oda said could not comment on the details of negotiations or what prompted the captors to agree to the release.

"I was, of course, very happy about the release of my husband," Tess Villanueva, wife of Filipino crew supervisor Laureano Villanueva. "I prayed hard that we will all be together this Christmas."

She said her family was informed about the ship's release, but she has not yet spoken with her husband.

Somali pirates, sometimes linked to powerful local clans, are trained fighters outfitted with sophisticated arms and equipment. They have seized merchant ships, vessels carrying aid, and even a cruise ship.

The U.S. military has recently intervened several times to help ships hijacked by Somali pirates, who have been allowed to operate with relative impunity since 1991, when a dictatorship in Somalia collapsed and many parts of the country fell into anarchy.

Shabelle Media Network Somalia
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