Pirates release tanker, crew safe, ransom paid

Somali pirates have released a hijacked Greek-owned tanker with all 19 crew safe and the oil cargo intact, Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry said Saturday. The ship's management company said a ransom was paid but did not say how much.

The Liberian-flagged tanker MV Genius, seized Sept. 26, was released Friday and is about 500 miles (800 kilometers) off Somalia on its way to the United Arab Emirates, ministry spokesman Constantine Gialelis said.

The pirates had seized the 6,765 gross-ton vessel in the Gulf of Aden near the Horn of Africa, waters that have become highly dangerous for shipping.

Gialelis said the Georgian, Sri Lankan and Syrian crew was safe.

A representative of Piraeus-based Mare Shipmanagement, the tanker's management company, told The Associated Press that the pirates had contacted the owners right after the ship was hijacked and had demanded a ransom.

"Our primary concern is the safety of the ship and its crew. ... They released it when ransom was paid," Ctesiphon Koukoulas told the AP by telephone, without specifying the amount.

He said he could not divulge details because of safety concerns for the crews of other ships held by pirates in the area. At least one other Greek-owned ship is held there.