Pirates release chemical tanker after 4 months

By the CNN Wire Staff

March 17, 2011 -- Updated 1558 GMT (2358 HKT)

Somali pirates have released the chemical tanker Hannibal II after holding it for more than four months.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The MV Hannibal's crew is safe and in good health, the ship owner says
• The waters off Somalia are dangerous for ships due to piracy

RELATED TOPICS

• Somali Pirates

(CNN) -- Somali pirates released a chemical tanker after holding it for more than four months, the European Union's naval protection force said Thursday.
The MV Hannibal II was seized November 11 off the Horn of Africa, EU NAVFOR said.
All 30 members of the crew of the Panama-flagged vessel are safe and in good health, the naval force said, citing the owner of the ship.
The waters off the coast of largely lawless Somalia have become a danger zone for ships in the past several years as pirates seize them for ransom.

EU NAVFOR did not say if a ransom had been paid for the Hannibal II.