Ship released by hijackers arrives today

MUSCAT: MV Stolt Valor, the Japanese-owned ship that was taken hostage by Somali pirates two months ago, will anchor at Muscat Anchorage today at 8am. The ship will berth at Port Sultan Qaboos after the necessary formalities have been completed. The date for berthing has not yet been decided, sources revealed.

“The formalities will be completed once the authorities here grant the necessary permission and also according to the instructions from the owners of the ship,” sources said.

The nearly 25,000-tonne chemical tanker, which was bound for Mumbai from the United States of America, was hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, on September 15. It was released from the Somali pirate port of Eyl on November 16. (more)