Bartamaha (Somalia):- Five Somali pirates caught alive in a military operation to rescue a seized South Korean cargo ship and its crew are detained in an isolated room of a Korean destroyer escorting the freed vessel to Oman, a military source said Saturday.
Thirteen pirates had seized the 11,500-ton chemical carrier Samho Jewelry before South Korean Navy commandos raided the ship Friday. The operation was successful, with all 21 crew members rescued alive, though the captain was wounded.
Eight of the pirates were shot dead and five others were caught alive.
The freed freighter was heading to Oman under escort of the South Korean destroyer Choi Young.
South Korean troops “are keeping the five pirates under watch after putting them in an isolated compartment aboard the Choi Young,” a military source said on condition of anonymity. “The bodies of eight pirates are being kept in a refrigerator and will be transported to” the port of Salalah in Oman, he said.
Several naval commandos are also aboard the freed ship to guard against contingencies, he said.
“The Samho Jewelry is now traveling at a speed of six to seven knots per hour toward the port of Salalah. It will be able to reach the destination early next week,” the source said.
Officials have said that they were studying the U.N. maritime law and similar cases in the past to determine how to deal with the pirates caught alive. The pirates could be brought to South Korea or third countries for criminal punishment, officials said.(Yonhap)
=================
Source:- Koreatimes.
