Somali pirates free Omani vessel

Piracy is common off the long, little-policed Somali coastline

Somali pirates have released an Omani fishing vessel held for almost eight months near Eyl port in the northern semi-autonomous Puntland region.

One of a group of elders in Eyl who negotiated the release told the BBC that one crew member - the Indonesian engineer - had died while in captivity.

Six other crew members, two Somalis and two Indonesians, were freed, without a ransom being paid, he said.

The seas off Somalia have some of the highest rates of piracy in the world.

Attacks against fishing boats, cargo ships and yachts have surged over recent months and foreigners, who can be exchanged for large ransoms, are frequent targets.

Last week, four vessels were hijacked.

Somalia's coastal waters are close to shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and the country's interim government lacks the resources to police its own coastline.

In June, the UN Security Council voted to allow countries to send warships into Somalia's waters to tackle the pirates.