Incident: Horizon 1 released

The Turkish cargo ship Horizon 1 has been released following payment of a $2.75 million ransom by a British negotiator. Horizon 1 had been taken on July 8. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

According to a Turkish-language article in the newspaper Hurriyet,

While the ship's owner gave permission to the Turkish Navy for freeing the vessel and her crew by forced intervention, the Turkish government rejected this option due to lack of procedures in case of getting hold of the pirates. The Turkish officials rather preferred to contact Kenyan authorities for legal assistance, who have more experience in handling pirates from Somalia.

("MV Horizon-1," Wikipedia, 12/31/09)