Somali pirates release Bulgarian chemical tanker

Somali pirates have released the Bulgarian chemical tanker with 15 crew they seized in May in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, EU naval force and a regional maritime official confirmed on Thursday.

Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the MV Panega which was seized on May 11 about 100 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen, en route from the Red Sea to India was freed early Thursday. "The MV Panega which was hijacked by Somali pirates on May 11 has been freed and all crew are safe. We receive this information a few minutes ago," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

EU naval Force also confirmed the development, saying the vessel was released from Garacad from under pirate control. "Merchant Vessel (MV) PANEGA is a Bulgarian flagged Chemical product tanker, with a dead weight of 5,848 tons and a Bulgarian crew of 15, all of whom are reported in good health," Naval Force spokesman John Harbour said.

The Bulgarian ship was on route from the Red Sea to India when she was attacked by pirates.

The Horn of Africa nation's coastline is considered one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water because of piracy.

Somalia is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels.

The country has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords and hasn't had a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.

Source: Xinhua