Somali pirates release chemical tanker: group

[Niels Bohr 72]

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released the chemical tanker Stolt Strength and its 23 crew members seized late last year, a maritime group said on Tuesday.

Sea gangs have run amok along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, seizing dozens of ships and getting millions of dollars in ransoms despite the presence of foreign navies patrolling the strategic commercial shipping lanes.

The East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, which monitors piracy in the region, said the ship and its Filipino crew were en route to India.

It was not known whether a ransom was paid.

The Stolt Strengh was carrying nearly 24,000 tons of oil products when gunmen hijacked the tanker on November 10, 2008.

Hijackings have driven up insurance costs and forced some firms to route cargo around South Africa. Pirates attacked at least 15 vessels in March after only two raids in the January and February.

(Reporting by Jack Kimball)

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Kill the pirates.