Somali pirates free tanker after record ransom
Abi BrayReports on Monday revealed that a record ransom has been successfully collected for the release of one of the biggest vessels ever seized by pirates.
On November 29, The Maran Centaurus was seized 762 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia.
Only slightly smaller than the Sirius Star, the Maran Centaurus has a capacity of 300,294 deadweight tonnes and at the time of its capture was transporting 2million barrels of oil when seized.
The ship is allegedly only the second Very Large Crude Carrier to have been help for ransom by pirates.
According to the vessel’s operator, London-based Maran Tankers Management, it was released on Monday at 8.30am local time. Maran Tankers is part of one of the biggest operators of oil tankers in the world — the Athens-based, Angelicoussis Group.
Two rival pirate groups had apparently disputed over the tanker as well as the division of the ransom money in moments leading to the release.
According East African Sailors’ Assistance Programme representative Andrew Mwangura, there were conflicting reports regarding the sum given as a ransom.
One report put the ransom at a two fold payment of 7 and 2 million dollars, while another puts the ransom at $5.5millon.
Either way, this ransom represents the largest sum ever paid in the history of pirating for the release of a captured vessel and far exceeds the previous record of $3m believed to have been paid for the release of the Saudi ship Sirius Star, the biggest vessel seized by pirates, in January 2009.
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