The Saudi supertanker seized by Somali pirates in the world's biggest ever hijacking has been freed following a reported ransom payment of $3m. Last night the US navy released a photo showing a small package apparently containing the ransom parachuting to the deck of the Sirius Star from a small aircraft.
The Sirius Star, which was carrying 2m barrels of oil when it was captured on November 15, sailed from the pirate lair of Harardheere on Somalia's eastern coast today.
Two Britons – chief engineer Peter French, from County Durham, and second officer James Grady, from Renfrewshire – are among the crew of 25 who were all reported to be unharmed.
"All our people have now left the Sirius Star. The ship is free, the crew is free," Mohamed Said, one of the pirate leaders, told Agence France-Presse by telephone.
"There were last-minute problems but now everything has been finalised."
A regional maritime group confirmed the release. An associate of the pirates, who call themselves the Central Regional Coastguard (CRC), said the owner of the ship, the oil giant Saudi Aramco, had paid a ransom of $3m (£2m). The pirates had originally demanded $25m. There was no immediate comment from the company on the release of the ship or the ransom claim.
The hijacking of the 330-metre long vessel was the culmination of a dramatic surge in piracy off Somalia this year. Both the $100m cargo and the daring nature of the attack, which took place 500 miles off the coast of Kenya, prompted numerous governments around the world to send warships to the region.
The shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, to Somalia's north, and the Indian Ocean, to the east of the lawless country, are among the busiest in the world. With no effective government on land to stop them, at least five Somali pirate gangs equipped with speedboats, AK-47 machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked more than 100 ships near the Horn of Africa in 2008, netting tens of millions of pounds in ransoms. More than a dozen ships, including the Faina, a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 T-72 battle tanks, are still being held along Somalia's east coast.
The Sirius Star, whose cargo represents a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production, was en route to the US when it was hijacked. Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers Association, said the supertanker was headed south-east this evening. It was too large to dock at Mombasa, Kenya, but could anchor in deep waters to allow the crew to come ashore in a smaller boat, he said.
The pirate gang's income may increase in the coming days. The CRC is also believed to be holding the Faina, tugboats from Nigeria and Indonesia, and two Turkish cargo ships. Negotiations for the release of all the vessels were close to concluding, Mwangura said.
"These pirates could get a lot more money in the next few days. Maybe they can now take a holiday."
The number of successful attacks by Somali pirates dropped significantly in December, with only two vessels captured. Maritime analysts say merchant ships have been taking protective measures to avoid being boarded by gunmen, while the glut of international warships on patrol has been a deterrent. The EU now has a dedicated naval fleet escorting ships in the region, while the US navy announced that it had created a new international force specifically to deal with Somali pirates. Individual countries such as Russia, China and Iran have sent their own warships to patrol Somalia's coast.
The ransom money is delivered by a parachute dropped by a small aircraft.
Somali pirates have released the MV ''Sirius Star'', the biggest ship ever hijacked, after a ransom payment was made. Five pirates drowned while leaving the 330 metre oil tanker.

The vessel was hijacked 500 miles from the Kenyan coast on November 15 with two million barrels of crude oil, worth $100 million. It was then anchored off the coast of Somalia at Haradhere, a coastal town used by pirates.

It was released yesterday after a ransom of $3 million was paid by owner Saudi Aramco, significantly less than the $25 million originally demanded. After the money was parachuted in the pirates left the vessel, with all 25 crew unharmed. However, one pirate boat carrying eight pirates and some of the money capsized on its way to shore due to rough weather, and five of the occupants drowned.
The vessel at anchor a few days after it was hijacked
The ''Sirius Star'', which had been taking oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States, headed to Kenya after release. It anchored in deep waters, and a smaller boat took the crew to shore at Mombasa. 

The pirate faction involved, one of at least five in the Gulf of Aden, is called the Central Regional Coastguard (CRC). The CRC is also holding Ukranian arms ship MV ''Faina'', with a cargo of 33 T-72 tanks, two cargo ships from Turkey and tugs from Indonesia and Nigeria. Negotiations for the release of all these ships are said to be near to completion.


Also released Friday was the Hong Kong-registered MV ''Delight'', an Iranian-chartered vessel carrying 36,000 tons of wheat and a crew of 25. It is unclear if any ransom was paid for the ship, seized in November. The crew are in good health and the cargo ship is headed to a port in Iran.