Two rival groups of Somali pirates had a shootout just before a ransom was delivered to free a supertanker loaded with combustible crude oil, prompting the pirates onboard to call the anti-piracy force for help, a European Union naval spokesman said Monday.| Wait, what?!? When did we enter an alternative universe? |
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The supertanker was seized about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the Somali coast with a crew of 28. The crude oil onboard was estimated to be worth roughly $150 million at the time of the Nov. 29 attack.
Cmdr. John Harbour, the spokesman for the European Union Naval Force, said a group of rival pirates had attacked the gunmen holding the Greek-flagged ship on Sunday just before the ransom was being delivered, prompting the pirates onboard the tanker to call for assistance from the anti-piracy force.
A Somali middleman, who helped negotiate the ship's release, said a nearby warship had dispatched two helicopters to hover over the attackers' two skiffs, frightening them off. The pirates onboard the ship then collected $5.5 million, which was parachuted out the back of two planes, he said. The pirates left the ship Monday morning and the helicopter did not fire any shots, he said.
He also said that he had spoken to the group of pirates attacking the ship, and that their intention was to force the original gunmen to give them a cut by using a show of force, rather than trying to storm the ship. Both sides knew of the potential for a catastrophic explosion, he said, and that is why the original pirates asked the EU for aid.