Somali pirates have released the hijacked ship, MV Abdullah, along with its crew of 23, after a $5 million ransom was paid. The ransom was delivered to the pirates two nights ago, and after verifying its authenticity, the money was divided into groups and the pirates left to avoid government forces. One of the pirates, Abdirashiid Yusuf, confirmed that the ship and all its crew members have been released.
The MV Abdullah, a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier, was hijacked in March while en route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates. The incident occurred approximately 600 nautical miles east of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
Government officials in Somalia have not provided any comments regarding the release of the hijacked ship and crew. This recent hijacking comes amidst a resurgence of pirate activity in the region, with Somali pirates having been relatively dormant from 2008 to 2018.
Maritime sources suggest that the increase in pirate activity could be attributed to a relaxation of security measures or the chaos resulting from attacks on shipping by the Yemeni Houthi group and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
