23/08/07 (B409) BBC : La société danoise RANSON aurait payé une rançon (estimé à 750.000 £ GB) pour récupérer son navire et ses hommes d’équipage, victime d’un acte de flibusterie de la part des pirates somaliens. – ‘Ransom paid’ to free Danish ship (En Anglais – Info lectrice)

The crew of a Danish cargo ship held by Somali pirates since early June were released after a ransom was paid, Denmark’s foreign ministry says.

No details of the amount paid were given, but Danish TV reported that the pirates had demanded $1.5m (£750,000).

The Danica White was hijacked off the Somali coast while heading for the Kenyan port of Mombasa to deliver a cargo of building materials.

The pirates have now turned the vessel over to a French warship.

The five crew members are undergoing a medical evaluation before being reunited with their families.

The Danish foreign ministry said the crew are in good condition, « although the hijacking has been a great strain ».

Danish TV2 News reported that security firm Protocols said it had paid ransom of $1.5m for the release of the ship and crew.

Dangerous waters

Days after the Danica White was captured on 2 June, a US ship fired several warning shots across its bow and destroyed three boats the pirates had used in their attack and were towing behind the Danish vessel.

But the US ship stopped its pursuit after the pirates navigated the Danica White into Somalia’s territorial waters, where the US does not have jurisdiction.

Somalia’s waters are reported to be among the most dangerous in the world.

Somali pirates are trained fighters, and often use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and Global Positioning System technology.

They target passenger and cargo vessels for ransom or loot, and use the money to buy weapons.