A cargo ship seized by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya was freed Monday without getting a ransom payment after one day under siege, and the German-based Beluga Shipping company said its crew of 16 was unharmed.

The pirates were thwarted after the crew of the MV Beluga Fortune locked themselves in a panic room and switched off the main engine, cut off the fuel supply, blocked the bridge and reported the Indian Ocean attack to military forces, said Niels Stolberg, president and CEO of Beluga Shipping GmbH.

The pirates, seeking a million-dollar ransom, were unable to maintain control of the vessel, and naval forces were able to come to the rescue, Stolberg said in a statement. The vessel continued its journey to Richards Bay, South Africa.

"The excellent behavior of our colleagues on board made such a swift and happy ending of the capture possible," Stolberg said.

Somalia has lacked an effective central government for almost two decades and is awash with weapons. The mayhem on land has allowed piracy to boom in the strategic waterways off its shores linking Europe to Asia and Africa.

This weekend it was reported that pirates from the lawless Horn of Africa nation also grabbed a Singapore-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker 50 miles off the coast of east Africa.

Ship hijackings worldwide hit a five-year high in the first nine months of this year, led by Somali pirates striking further away from the country's coast to avoid naval patrols, a maritime watchdog said earlier this month.
Somali pirates are holding 20 vessels with more than 430 hostages, according to EU Navfor. Typically they receive a ransom for their release.

Rohosafi, English News Staff
Email: englishnews@live.com