[Straits Times] SOMALI pirates have freed a Malaysian tugboat and its 11 Indonesian sailors after a ransom was paid to end the second longest hijacking off the coast of Somalia, a maritime watchdog said on Monday.The tugboat TB Masindra 7 and its attached Indonesian barge ADM 1 had been operating under a contract from French oil giant Total when it was seized eight months ago on Dec 16, said Kenya-based Ecoterra International. 'The Malaysian tugboat TB Masindra 7 with its attached Indonesian barge ADM1 is free,' the non-governmental organisation said in a statement.
The crew of 11 was 'all right, given the circumstances", said the statement, adding that 'a ransom was paid'.