Somali pirates release Indian crew

MUMBAI, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Somali pirates released the Indian crew of the Japanese cargo ship MV Stolt Valor after holding them captive since Sept. 15.

The 18-member crew left for India Sunday as the Indian navy patrolled the off the Somali coast, the BBC reported.

Somali pirates, whose increasing high seas crimes have become an international concern, hijacked the Stolt Valor, a chemical tanker, in the Gulf of Aden.

There were reports in the Indian media that a large ransom was paid to secure the release of the crew and the vessel but the BBC said there was no confirmation from the Japanese owners of the ship.

The BBC report said some 80 ships have been hijacked off Somalia this year. Last week, an Indian navy warship stopped a piracy attempt to take an Indian ship.

The navy has been patrolling the seas through which Indian trade flows since last month, the report said.