Five members of the crew on the Sibu 1 oil tanker died during a hijacking in the Gulf of Aden before the vessel was recovered, state officials reported Sept. 30. The crew members were killed by pirates during a hijacking that lasted five weeks, ending only after a joint military and tribal operation liberated the US sanctioned ship and detained dozens of captors.

Puntland security forces conducted the rescue alongside 40 armed members of the Al-Shaghanba tribe from Basra, Iraq, who mobilized to reclaim the vessel owned by one of their tribesmen. The operation involved a 5 hour firefight and resulted in the arrest of 47 suspected pirates. This is the third ship freed by Somali forces recently, an event officials say highlights a resurgence of piracy across the Somali Basin.