A Chinese navy ship handed over three suspected pirates to Somali authorities on Friday, police said, underscoring the determination of international naval forces to stamp out a resurgence of piracy this year. The pirates were involved in the attempted hijacking in April of the OS35, a Tuvalu-flagged cargo ship that was rescued by the Chinese navy after the crew sent a distress call. "A Chinese navy ship handed over three pirates to Puntland today," said Ahmed Saiid, the deputy director of maritime police forces in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland. The pirates handed to the Puntland authorities included a local pirate leader known as Aw Kombe, he said. More on this: Somali pirates hijack first commercial ship since 2012Also read: Somali pirates hijack Indian commercial shipIn their heyday in 2011, Somali pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia and held hundreds of hostages, the International Maritime Bureau said.

Source: The Star May 06, 2017 06:56 UTC