Somali pirates free Bermuda-flagged ship, ransom paid

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released the Bermudan-flagged MV Talca that was seized on March 23 while en route to Iran from Egypt, leaving at least 19 vessels and more than 350 crew members still captive.

Rampant piracy off the coast of the anarchic Horn of Africa nation has earned the gunmen tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, jacked up insurance premiums for ships and forced some to take longer, more costly routes to avoid pirate hotspots.

Andrew Mwangura, head of the East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Program, said he believed the crew of 23 Sri Lankans, one Filipino and one Syrian were safe. He said there had been no "quarrels" during nearly two months of negotiations.

"We received $2.5 million and freed the ship late last night. It sailed away and the crew were so happy," a pirate who called himself Ali told Reuters from the pirate haven of Bargal.

It was not immediately possible to verify the ransom claim.

War and weak government in the Horn of Africa nation have allowed piracy in the Gulf of Aden's busy shipping lanes to flourish, with some sea bandits living a lavish lifestyle onshore from the proceeds.

It was not immediately clear where the MV Talca, which has a dead weight of 11,055 tonnes, was heading following its release.

Russian news agencies also quoted a military source as saying 10 pirates released after hijacking a Russian oil tanker last week never it made ashore and were likely dead.

Prosecuting captured pirates has been hampered by disagreements over which country should try them. The U.N. Security Council has suggested creating special piracy courts to plug a gap in the world response to the costly attacks.

(Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by David Clarke)