Somali pirates release Togo-flagged ship - Ransom paid

Somali pirates have released a Togo-flagged cargo ship seized last week, a U.N. aid agency said on Monday, and another merchant vessel escaped from an attempted attack.

Pirates have made millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking commercial vessels in busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes despite foreign navies patrolling the Somali coast.

The violence has disrupted aid supplies, driven up insurance costs and forced some firms to route cargo round South Africa.

"We hear from the operator that it was released," U.N. World Food Programme spokesman Peter Smerdon.

The nearly 5,000-tonne MV Sea Horse was on its way to pick up food for the aid group when it was hijacked.

A pirate source said a $100,000 ransom was paid.

"Somali traders were involved in the release of this ship. They mediated and paid some money. I think it was not more than $100,000," the source, Hassan, told Reuters by telephone.

The Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which monitors piracy, said the ship was freed on Friday, but had no details about the ransom.

Pirates attacked at least 15 vessels off the coast in March after only two raids in January and February.

WREAK HAVOC

In the latest attack, pirates unsuccessfully tried to board a Maltese-flagged merchant vessel, 30 miles from the coast of Yemen, a NATO official said.

The 28,693-tonne bulk carrier MV Atlantica was traveling through the Gulf of Aden when two speed-boats approached, NATO Lieutenant Commander Alexandre Fernandes told Reuters.

The Atlantica said each boat had six heavily-armed bandits. One skiff used a ladder to try to board the vessel, and another shot at it with automatic weapons, he said.

The bulk carrier escaped by increasing speed and using other unspecified anti-piracy measures, Fernandes said on board the Portuguese warship NRB Corte-Real. Somalia has been without an effective central government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991.

Donors will be meeting in Brussels this week to discuss urgent funding for Somali security forces in what will be an important test of support for the chaotic country's 15th attempt in 18 years at central government.