Supertanker owners silent over ransom claims

FREE AT LAST: The Saudi supertanker Sirius Star.

The crew of a Saudi-owned supertanker who were held hostage by Somali pirates all survived their two-month ordeal and will soon be reunited with their families, the vessel's owners said on Saturday.

While confirming for the first time that the pirates had released the Sirius Star and its 25-man crew, Vela International refused to comment on whether a ranson had been paid.

"We are very relieved to know that all the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits," Vela's chief executive Saleh K'aki said in a statement.

"This has been a very trying time for them and certainly for their families. We are very happy to report to their families that they will be on their way home soon," he added.

The ship is believed to be worth around $150 million and its cargo was valued at the time of the hijacking at $100 million.

News of the ship's release first emerged on Friday but Vela had been tight-lipped until Saturday's statement.

The 330-metre Sirius Star, owned by the shipping arm of oil giant Saudi Aramco, was seized far off the east African coast on Nov. 15, in what was the pirates' most daring attack and largest catch to date.

Sources close to the negotiations said three million dollars were delivered to the pirate group onshore on Thursday.

However six of the pirates drowned on leaving the supertanker when their small escape raft capsized, their leader later revealed.

Asked about the ransom, a Vela spokesman told AFP: "I can't comment on this kind of information."

The crew of the vessel is made up of 25 people from Britain, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Poland, where the ship's captain hails from.

Pirates operating off Somalia's coast, in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, carried out more than 130 attacks in 2008 alone, turning the region into the world's most dangerous waters.

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