The Somali Pirates have freed the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker carrying a $100 million worth of crude oil, for $3 million in ransom.
The rampant piracy off Somalia worsened dramatically in 2008 as an Islamist insurgency fueled chaos onshore. The Somirates are currently holding 17 ships, and 250 crews members hostage, in waters around Somalia.
The Somirates captured and boarded the Sirius Star in November of 2008. Their original ransom price was rumored to be between $15 - $25 million, but after months of negotiations, they agreed to settle. Not one of the 25 crew members aboard were harmed. The ship's captain, Marek Nishky, was allowed to speak to the BBC under the scrutiny of his captors, and said there was "not a reason for complaints".
UPDATE: 5 of the Somirates drowned with their share of the $3 million ransom when their small boat capsized.
Pirate Daud Nure says the boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after all the Somirates left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden that ended Friday. Five Somirates died and three people reached shore after swimming for several hours.
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