Somali police rescue another oil tanker from pirates

Somali maritime police said Tuesday they had rescued another oil tanker, days after a rescue operation ended with pirates escaping in suspicious circumstances.

Somali piracy has seen a resurgence, with at least 15 attacks since April, the highest since 2013.

Maritime Police Force personnel from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia stormed the Palau-flagged MT Honour 25 tanker that was hijacked in April and rescued its 17 crew.

“The naval and ground units of the Puntland Maritime Police Force conducted a planned operation in the Dharin-Bar area of Bandar Beyla district,” police said in a statement.

Puntland police have faced criticism for failing to act against a new pirate network that has been highly active in the region this year.

They have been chasing down three hijacked vessels off the Somali coast in recent days, and rescued one of the other oil tankers, Sibu 1, on Friday.

But 28 of 41 pirates arrested in the operation later escaped while being transferred to jail, with several Puntland security officials accusing local police of complicity.

Puntland police said the Honour 25 had 18,500 barrels of oil onboard when it was hijacked.