Russian forces storm tanker, free ship from pirate seizure

ABOARD THE HSwMS CARLSKRONA - Russian special forces rappelled from a helicopter onto a disabled oil tanker taken over by Somali pirates, freeing 23 Russian sailors and arresting 10 pirates during a dawn raid on Thursday, the commander of the EU Naval Force said. One pirate was killed.

The raid against the Liberian-flagged ship Moscow Univeristy came 24 hours after the pirates had taken the ship over and the crew locked itself in a safe room. The vessel is carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil worth about $50 million.

The ship had been disabled and was not moving. Safe rooms, where crews seek shelter, are typically stocked with food, water and communications equipment and have reinforced doors that can only be opened from the inside.