Pirates Handed Life Sentences in UAE

The UAE federal court has sentenced a group of pirates responsible for the 2011 hijacking of the M/V Arrilah-1 to life in prison.

According to Associated Press, the sentence was handed down on Tuesday to 10 pirates who were captured after a team of commandos from the United Arab Emirates stormed the hijacked vessel.  The pirates, in this instance, were never able to gain entry to the ships citadel where the crew was hiding out.  The pirates never gained control of the vessel or crew.

The M/V Arrilah-1 was carrying a cargo of aluminum when it was attacked in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman on April 1, 2011.

The 22,668gt Arrilah-1 bulk carrier is owned by UAE’s Abu Dhabi National Tanker Co. is flagged in Liberia.