Somali pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship captured 10 days ago, a minister in the country's breakaway Puntland region said today. The deputy foreign minister Ali Abdi Aware said no ransom was paid for the released of the MV Arena late yesterday. "The ship has been released after week-long talks with the pirates and they agreed to free it without ransom," Mr Aware told AFP. "The pirates who hijacked the ship came onshore last night."
Pirates have ramped up attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean despite foreign naval patrols. Somali pirates are holding a Saudi supertanker seized on Nov 15 and have demanded $25 million for its release. It is carrying two million barrels of crude oil. * AFP
