By Daniel M. Austin
Impunity Watch Reporter,  Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Pirates off the coast of Somalia are in the process of freeing two ships in exchange for a record ransom. Specifically, a ransom of over $9 million (U.S. dollars) was paid for the release of the Samho Dream, and $7 million (U.S. dollars) was paid for the return of the Golden Blessing. The ransom for the Samho Dream is the largest ransom paid for a single ship since pirates began attacking international vessels off the coast of Somalia.

The Samho Dream, a South Korean oil supertanker, with its five Korean and nineteen Filipino crew members has been under control of Somali pirates since April 2010. The Samho Dream was estimated to have 2 million barrels of oil onboard, worth approximately $160 million dollars (U.S.), when it was captured. This ship was seized in the Indian Ocean as it was traveling from Iraq to the United States.

The initial price for the Samho Dream began at $20 million (U.S. dollars) but through negotiations that figure was whittled down to over $9 million. Once ransom the amount was agreed upon, the cash was ferried by helicopter to the ship and then dropped onto its deck. As of Saturday, a pirate name Hussein told Reuters, “We are counting our cash, and soon we shall get down from the ship.” A South Korean foreign minister expects that once the crew is safe, the South Korean crew members will be sent to a third country for medical evaluations before coming home.

The Golden Blessing, a Singaporean ship, with a nineteen member Chinese crew was captured on June 28. The Golden Blessing was transporting chemicals from Saudi Arabia to India when it was attacked. According to European Union Naval forces, the Golden Blessing was released Saturday after a ransom was paid. The Golden Blessing is now being escorted by Chinese naval vessels to safe waters.

According to a report released by the International Maritime Bureau, the first nine months of 2010 have been the busiest time for ship hijackings in the past five years. The report points outs that Somali pirates are responsible for a substantial number of theses seizures. This is due in large part to the absence of a functioning central government in Mogadishu. Ship hijackings have continued to occur even as European Union, NATO and other nations have stepped up naval patrols in the waters off Somalia.

For more information, please see:

Voice of America – Somali Pirates Release Two Tanker Ships – 6 November 2010

BBC Africa – Somali pirates receive record ransom for ship release – 6 November 2010

Associated Press – Report: Somali pirates release SKorean ship – 6 November 2010

Arirang – Somali Pirates Free Hijacked Korean Ship – 6 November 2010