Boosaaso (insidesomalia.org) - Reports are coming that Somali pirates have released last night [22 June 2009] a Dutch freighter the Marathon which was being held for nearly three months.  Locals report that ship which was visible from land is no longer anchored.

However one of the Ukrainian crew was shot dead by the pirates, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. The 2,575-tonne Marathon, with eight Ukrainian citizens aboard, was sailing through the Gulf of Aden when it was seized on May 7.  Normally Somali pirates do not shoot hostages as they are considered valuable negotiation tool.  It seems that risk to ship crew is rising.

The ship has 18 people workers from number of countries.  The Somali pirates held the ship off the coast of Eyl, a haven for pirates to co-ordinate their activities. It is believed that ransom has been paid in the region of 1.5 Million US Dollars.

* PIRACY KEY FACTS:

• In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide, 11 percent up on the year before. Attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden almost trebled.
• In 2008, there were 111 incidents including 42 vessels hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. So far in 2009, there have been 31 successful hijackings from 143 attempted attacks.
• Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal. Sources: Reuters/Ecoterra International/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net

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