Pirates get $5m ransom for hijacked ship

Somali pirates have released a hijacked ship and its crew of 23 early after a $5m ransom was reportedly paid. ‘We divided the money into groups and left, avoiding the government forces,’ Abdirashiid Yusuf, one of the pirates, told Reuters. He confirmed that the MV Abdullah had been released. CNN reports that the Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier was hijacked in March as it was heading from Mozambique to the UAE. The hijacking happened about 600 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. Maritime sources say pirates may be encouraged by a relaxation of security or may be taking advantage of the chaos caused by attacks on shipping by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group.