The 146-metre MV Victoria, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on May 5 while on its way to the port of Jeddah. It has a crew of 11 Romanians, aged between 22 and 64 and includes one woman. Somali pirates received a $1.8 million ransom for the release of a German-owned vessel and its 11-member crew, a tugboat had brought the ransom to the brigands.
