Priates free cargo ship

On 3 December 2008 Somali pirates freed the MV Amani cargo ship, which they seized in the Gulf of Aden on 25 November. International maritime officials stated that the pirates allowed the ship to leave the port of Eyl with the cargo of steel intact and the crew unharmed. Somali government representatives told reporters that local clan elders in the Puntland region had been negotiating with the group of pirates for the past week. Reports indicate that no ransom was paid, and it is unclear how the release of the vessel was brokered.