March 8 (Reuters) - Somali pirates said on Sunday they had released the Thai-flagged Thai Union 3 after receiving a $3 million ransom.
The tuna fishing boat was seized on Oct. 29, 2009 and had a crew of 23 Russians, two Filipinos and two Ghanaians.
Here is a list of ships under the control of Somali pirates:
* THERESA VIII: Seized on Nov. 16, 2009. The chemical tanker was hijacked in the south Somali Basin, northwest of the Seychelles. The 22,294 dwt tanker had a crew of 28 North Koreans. The captain of the tanker died from gunshot wounds suffered during the hijacking, a Somali pirate said.
* SOCOTRA 1: Seized on Dec. 25, 2009: The Yemeni-owned ship was captured in the Gulf of Aden after it left the port of Alshahr in the eastern province of Hadramout. There were six Yemeni crew on board.
* ST. JAMES PARK: Seized on Dec. 28, 2009. The British-flagged 13,924 dwt chemical tanker was bound for Thailand from Spain with a chemical used in plastics production when it sent a distress signal from the Gulf of Aden. Its 26 crew members were from Bulgaria, Georgia, India, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
* ASIAN GLORY: Seized on Jan. 1, 2010. The British-flagged vehicle carrier was hijacked about 900 miles north of the Seychelles. The 25 crew consisted of eight Bulgarians including the captain, 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians.
* RIM: Seized on Feb. 2, 2010. The 4,800-tonne Libyan-owned cargo ship was seized in the strategic channel south of Yemen. It said it was flying a North Korean flag, but was owned by White Sea Shipping of Tripoli. It carried a crew of at least 10, all Syrian.
* AL NISR AL SAUDI: Seized on March 1, 2010. The Saudi-owned 5,136 deadweight tonne tanker was on its way from Japan to Jeddah with one Greek and 13 Sri Lankan crew members. * UBT OCEAN: Seized on March 5, 2010. Pirates hijacked the Marshall-Islands-registered tanker off Madagascar. It was carrying fuel oil from the United Arab Emirates to Tanzania and had a crew of 21. The 9,000 dwt tanker is owned by Norwegian company Brovigtank.
* PIRACY FACTS:
— Globally in 2009, there were 406 reported incidents, in which 153 vessels were boarded and 49 were hijacked. There were 84 attempted attacks and 120 vessels were fired on. A total of 1,052 crew members were taken hostage. At least 68 crew members were injured and eight were killed.
— In all, Somali pirates were held responsible for 217 acts of piracy in 2009, in which 47 vessels were hijacked and 867 crew members taken hostage.
— In 2008, 111 vessels were targeted by Somali pirates resulting in 42 hijackings. Although the number of 2009 incidents has almost doubled, the number of successful hijackings is proportionately less.
— Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.
Sources: Reuters/Ecoterra International/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)
