Somali pirates have freed a Pakistani fishing vessel they seized last month and used as a "mother ship" to hijack a British-flagged cargo ship in the Indian Ocean, according to the EU anti-piracy mission.
The pirates had seized the Shahbaig and its 29-member crew on 6th December, some 370 miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa. The pirates then used it as a "mother ship" from which smaller boats are launched to carry out attacks on other ships.
The pirates reportedly abandoned the Shahbaig and its crew some 1,000 miles (1,600kms) north of the Seychelles, where it was then boarded by the EU naval force. Before abandoning the fishing vessel, the pirates had used it to attack and hijack the UK-owned Asian Glory, which is currently being held by the pirates along with at least 11 other ships.
"The Shahbaig was boarded by crew from France's FS Surcouf and found all crew members to be in good health except for one member whose leg was broken, " EU's Navfor protection force said in a statement.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991. Currently, a weak UN-backed interim government under President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is trying to enforce its authority in the country, most of which is controlled by various Islamist insurgent groups.
The Somali coast, particularity the Gulf of Aden, has been affected by piracy in the recent years. More than 160 pirate attacks have been reported in the waters off Somalia from January to September this year. The Somali pirates have managed to hijack at least 34 vessels, and are currently holding some 10 ships and 200 hostages. Generally, the crew and the vessels are returned unharmed on receiving the demanded ransom.
Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have continued despite the presence of several warships, deployed by navies of the NATO, the European Union, Russia, China, South Korea and India, in the region to protect cargo and cruise ships against piracy in the region.
The UN Security Council has approved four resolutions since June to promote international efforts in fighting the escalating piracy problem off the coast of Somalia, and has authorized countries engaged in anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast to conduct land and air attacks on Somali pirates after obtaining prior permission from the Somali government.
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