South Korean navy rescue pirate hostages

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 February 2011 10:39 Friday, 21 January 2011 21:36

The South Korean Navy were the heroes of early morning darkness after carrying out a rescue mission to free 21 sailors and their cargo ship hijacked last week in the Arabian Sea by Somali pirates. Eight Somali pirates were killed and five captured. Eight South Koreans were among the crew members and the ship was registered in South Korea.

The 11,500 ton Samho Jewelry was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka when it was hijacked last Saturday. South Korea immediately dispatched 300 troops and a 4,500 ton destroyer to secure their release. Troops from the U.S. and Oman were also present in support of the operation. "(South Korea) will never tolerate any act that threatens life and safety of South Korean nationals," President Lee Myung-bak said in a statement. "I thank the allies who had cooperated on the operation."

The Captain of the ship sustained a gun wound to the stomach during the operation but was not in a critical condition.

South Korean commandos board the Samho Jewelry

On Tuesday, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) off coast of northeast Somalia, the destroyer came across pirates who had apparently left the Samho Jewelry in order to seize a Mongolian vessel sailing nearby. Commandos from the South Korean army (the Underwater Demolition Team) were sent to rescue the Mongolian ship, along with a Lynx helicopter in support. After a brief firefight in which some commandos received superficial injuries, the Lynx opened fire and at least six pirates were killed.

For the next few days the destroyer tracked the hijacked ship until the rescue operation was launched before dawn on Friday. It took five hours to complete.

South Korea had deployed 20 South Korean troops in March to join an international anti-piracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden, just off the Somali coast. A south Korean oil tanker was seized in April 2009 and persistent rumors abound that a ransom of $9.5 million was paid following negotiations. Many said the pirates were encouraged by the ransom received - the biggest ever -  and critics slammed the payout as doing nothing to discourage piracy. The EU, America, Russia, Japan, China and India have all increased patrols in the area over the last year in an effort to combat piracy.

The International Maritime Bureau estimates that 28 vessels and 638 people are being held by Somali pirates. Originally they rowed boats and climbed up the sides of ships armed with knives and swords. Now, the Somali pirates have speed boats, GPS equipped phones, night vision and an assortment of weapons including rockets and heavy machine guns.

The scene after the commandos seized back control of the ship