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Pirates release ship captured in October

Somali pirates have released an oil tanker that they hijacked a month ago on its way from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa, a maritime official said. It was not immediately clear whether a ransom was paid for the release of the Malta-registered vessel and its crew of 24, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program.

On November 5, two boats of pirates attacked a U.S. luxury cruise liner. The Seabourn Spirit sped away but one member of the 161-person crew was wounded in the raid, which occurred about 100 miles off Somalia`s coast.

Several pirate groups operate along the 1,880-mile coastline of Somalia, which has had no effective government since opposition leaders ousted a dictatorship in 1991 and then turned on one another, leaving the nation of 7 million under the control of warlords.