Saudi Supertanker Freed by Somali Pirates, Owner Says

By Glen Carey

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Saudi Arabian oil supertanker Sirius Star, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in November in the Indian Ocean, has been released, its owner said.

All crewmembers are safe and in good health, state-owned Vela International Ltd. said today in an e-mailed statement. The Sirius Star contains 2 million barrels of crude oil.

The tanker, which was hijacked Nov. 15 about 420 nautical miles (780 kilometers) off Somalia, was the largest ship and the farthest from shore of the 43 vessels that Somali pirates seized last year. Concerns that piracy could endanger energy supplies has been cited by governments such as France as a reason for sending warships to the waters off Somalia.

The pirates who commandeered the oil tanker appear to have received payment to release the ship, the U.S. Navy said yesterday. Press photographs showed an object being parachuted onto the vessel.

A Vela spokesman declined to comment on whether a ransom was paid to free the ship when contacted by telephone today. It is company policy not to identify the spokesman.

Five of the pirates drowned with their share of a reported $3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, the Associated Press reported. Pirate Daud Nure said a boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after dozens of pirates left the Sirius Star, according to the news agency.

Weapons Destroyed

The Sirius Star is now leaving Somalia’s territorial waters, the Saudi Press Agency reported today, citing Oil Minister Ali Naimi.

Pirates attacked 165 ships off the coast of Somalia last year, up from 58 attacks in 2007, the French military says.

In response, the European Union in December launched its first naval mission to Somalia. The EU fleet, named Atalanta, saw its first action Dec. 27 when a helicopter from German frigate FDS Karlsruhe chased off pirates attacking an Egyptian bulk carrier and then destroyed their weapons.

Task Force 150, a Bahrain-based 20-country multinational fleet that’s supporting U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, said Jan. 8 it’s spinning off some of its warships to create Task Force 151, which will concentrate on suppressing piracy.

The United Nations Security Council voted 15-0 last month to allow naval forces in the area to “take all necessary measures” to fight pirates.

The Gulf of Aden, where most of the attacks take place, is transited by 50 ships a day on their way to or from the Suez Canal. About 30 percent of Europe’s oil supply, or 3.5 million barrels a day, passes through the canal.

Other countries, including China, India, Malaysia and Russia, have sent warships to protect their merchant vessels.

U.S. and Russian warships continue to track a Ukrainian boat containing T-72 battle tanks that pirates hijacked Sept. 25.

To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Dubai at gcarey8@bloomberg.net