BRUSSELS: Somali pirates abandoned a freighter they had briefly seized in the Gulf of Aden, leaving two injured members of its Syrian and Egyptian crew to radio for medical aid, European naval forces said on Saturday.
The Syrian Star "is now free," the European Union NAVFOR command said, adding in a statement: "Initial reports are that the pirates left the ship of their own accord utilizing one on the rescue boats."
Late on Friday night, the ship "requested medical assistance for two crew members that were injured in the initial hijack" on Thursday, reportedly when the pirates fired shots at the crew, in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden, the EU NAVFOR said. A third crew member was injured in a work-related incident.
The Syrian Star, flagged in Saint Vincent and Grenadines, was the second ship seized this week after sea bandits on Monday captured a Panamanian freighter with 23 crew from Egypt, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
A day later, a Spanish warship foiled an attack on a Norwegian chemical tanker off the Horn of Africa. The vessel was holding seven suspected Somali pirates pending possible prosecution.
This week, a Saudi insurance company said it would pay a $20-million ransom to free a hijacked ship and its 14-member crew held hostage for five months.
Foreign naval powers have deployed dozens of warships since 2008 in a bid to secure the Gulf, a crucial maritime route leading to the Suez Canal through which tens of thousands of merchant vessels transit each year.
But pirates have gradually extended their area of operations, seizing ships as far east as the Maldives’ territorial waters and as far south as the Canal of Mozambique.
Naval missions, including the European Union’s Atalanta deployment, have boasted success in curbing attacks but the number of hijacked ships and detained seafarers remains at one of its highest levels since Somali piracy surged in 2007.
Unofficial figures show 2009 was the most prolific year yet for Somali pirates, with more than 200 attacks — including 68 successful hijackings — and ransoms believed to exceed $50 million in total.
