Security forces in Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland June 3 freed a QSM Dubai, a Panama-flagged vessel seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
The pirates killed the Pakistani captain of the MV QSM Dubai during the clash, according to a Somalian government official.But most navies will not intervene after pirates are onboard a ship for fear of harming the hostages. "Hitherto, Somali pirates have merely treated hijackings as a business transaction and have been fairly consistent about not purposely harming anyone," said James Gosling, a London-based partner at Holman Fenwick Willan, who has advised ship owners in nearly 30 ransom negotiations off the Horn of Africa. "My hope is they will just continue as before ... But obviously we are very concerned about what impact the latest events will have." The QSM Dubai is beneficially-owned by Lebanese interests. A wrongful death action by the captain's heirs may have different consequences for this owner than for shipowners in western countries.
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