Somali pirates free MV Sward and 17 crew, sources say

Somali pirates have released the MV Sward, a vessel hijacked in April with 17 crew members, near Garacad in Puntland, security sources in the Somali state told AFP.

The sources said a ransom was paid but did not give a figure. One Puntland security source said the crew remained on board after the pirates went ashore and entered vehicles toward Garacad. Other Puntland security sources confirmed the account.

The MV Sward was hijacked on April 26 off Somalia with 15 Syrian and two Indian crew members. The pirates used it as a mothership to capture at least two Iranian fishing vessels and the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship MV Lutuf.

Figures from the International Maritime Organisation show at least 15 attacks off the Gulf of Aden and Somalia coasts this year since April, the highest number since 2013. Puntland security sources said at the end of August that $2.5 million was paid to release the MV Lutuf and $40,000 to release the two Iranian fishing boats.

Somalia's federal government said the Lutuf was released after sustained military pressure by the Turkish navy and Somali armed forces, during which four pirate boats were destroyed and 14 pirates were killed.

Four commercial vessels are still held by Somali pirates off Somalia: Honour 25, Eureka, Asana and Seamull. The United States sanctioned Seamull in December last year as one of the vessels in Iran's "shadow fleet", accused of exporting Iranian oil using deceptive shipping practices.