Piracy Update from Nato Shipping Centre

Published Jan 10, 2011 8:07 AM by The Maritime Executive

Ship is now on its way to the port of Djibouti, escorted by naval vessels.

Pirates free Italian cargo ship. An Italian tugboat and its crew of 16, seized by pirates off the Gulf of Aden in April, have been released, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Sunday (09 August). Frattini told Sky Italia TV he had been given the news by the Somali prime minister. The ship's release was the result of "exceptional work" on the part of Somali authorities and the Italians, he said. The pirates hijacked the Italian-flagged Buccaneer on April 11 with a crew of 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and one Croatian and took it to a point close to Las Qoray, a fishing village in a disputed area of northern Somalia. The ship is now on its way to the port of Djibouti, escorted by naval vessels.

Over the past 24 hours there is nothing further known of any significance to report.