UAE Court Jails 10 Pirates for Life

A UAE court jailed 10 pirates for life on Tuesday after they were convicted of hijacking a ship east of Oman in the Arabian Sea last year, state news agency WAM reported.

The life sentence, which equates to 25 years, will be followed by deportation, WAM said.

The agency did not give the men's nationalities, but Abu Dhabi daily The National reported that they are Somalis.

MV Arrilah-I was hijacked in April 2011 while en route from Australia to Dubai.

United Arab Emirates special forces, backed by air force units and in coordination with the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet, freed the Abu Dhabi-owned ship a day after it was seized.

The bulk carrier is owned by Abu Dhabi National Tanker Co and National Gas Shipping Co, both subsidiaries of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.