Pirates release chemical tanker after 4 months

ASTANA. March 18. KAZINFORM Somali pirates released a chemical tanker after holding it for more than four months, the European Union's naval protection force said Thursday; Kazinform refers to CNN.

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.

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