Fight over $7.5m ransom

The largest ransom ever paid to Somali pirates was dropped on a Greek-flagged oil tanker with two million barrels of oil onboard, pirates and maritime officials said.

An aircraft dropped a ransom believed to be between US$5.5 million ($7.5 million) and US$7 million for the release of the tanker which was hijacked near the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles, the officials said.

The Maran Centaurus was seized on November 29 with nine Greeks, two Ukrainians, one Romanian and 16 Filipinos on board and the ransom dwarfs amounts paid previously for vessels held captive by Somali sea gangs.

Pirates aboard the tanker and rivals in speedboats fired at each other in a tussle for control before the ransom was due to be delivered.

Reuters reported that helicopters from Western navies fired at the speedboats before the cash was dropped.