Somali pirates have released the Bermudan-flagged MV Talca that was seized on March 23 while en route to Iran from Egypt, leaving at least 19 vessels and more than 350 crew members still captive.
Rampant piracy off the coast of the anarchic Horn of Africa nation has earned the gunmen tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, jacked up insurance premiums for ships and forced some to take longer, more costly routes to avoid pirate hotspots.
Andrew Mwangura, head of the East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said he believed the crew of 23 Sri Lankans, one Filipino and one Syrian were safe. He said there had been no "quarrels" during nearly two months of negotiations.
"We received $2.5 million and freed the ship late last night. It sailed away and the crew were so happy," a pirate who called himself Ali told Reuters from the pirate haven of Bargal.
The Russians, meanwhile, just, uh... well, "lost" their captured pirates at sea.
A Russian official claimed Tuesday that 10 pirates seized by Russian special forces aboard an oil tanker last week were quickly freed but then died on their way back to the Somali coast.
The unidentified high-ranking Defense Ministry official did not elaborate on how the pirates died, deepening a mystery that has prompted speculation the pirates were executed by commandos who had freed a Russian oil tanker seized in waters 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of Somalia's coast.
The official told Russian news agencies the pirates' boat disappeared from Russian radar about an hour after their release.
"They could not reach the coast and, apparently, have all died," the official said.
The Defense Ministry could not be reached despite repeated phone calls Tuesday to the press office and the cell phones of spokesmen.
Russian officials have said one of the 11 pirates was killed during a gunbattle when the Russian special forces stormed the tanker on Thursday. The others, some said to have been wounded, were brought aboard a Russian destroyer.
Officials initially said they would be taken to Russia for trial, but the Defense Ministry said Friday they'd been released because of "imperfections" in international law. The statement was met with skepticism, especially in light of a comment made by the Russian president.
No really, we had no idea they wouldn't make it to shore when we set them adrift on an inflatable raft and riddled them with small arms fire!
By: Brant
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