Pirated MV AL NISR AL SAUDI Released

On December 7, 2010, the Saudi Arabian flagged Product tanker MV AL NISR AL SAUDI and her crew of 14 were finally released from under pirate control after nine months.

The vessel, which has a deadweight of 5,136 tons, was heading to Jeddah when she was pirated in the Gulf of Aden on March 3, 2010. The ship spent most of the nine months in a Kulub port and was once used as a mother ship for an attempted attack on another merchant vessel.

Ecoterra International reports that a ransom was paid for the release and that all crew member are safe.

The master of the ship is Greek and the rest of the crewmembers are from Sri Lanka.

SOURCE: EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EU NAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EU NAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.