Somali hijackers free Jordanian ship

Mogadishu: Somali pirates have released a Jordanian-flagged cargo ship hijacked last week off the coast of Somalia, a shipping agent said on Friday.

"The ship has been released. All the pirates have left the ship, the crew is safe and healthy,'' said the ship's local agent Mohamed Ahmed Roble.

"The pirates and the businessmen whose cargo the ship was carrying have reached a verbal agreement. We did not pay any ransom," he said.

Roble added that the ship is sailing to Mogadishu to discharge its cargo of 2,400 tonnes of sugar.

However, a relative of one of the pirates said a small amount of money was paid for the ship and its crew of around 12 people that included Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Tanzanians.