A ransom has allegedly been paid to free a German-owned gas tanker seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden in January, an environment watchdog that also monitors piracy said yesterday. An unknown sum of money was delivered by aircraft on Friday afternoon and the MV Longchamp, captured on January 29, was set to be released afterwards, Ecoterra International said in a statement. Meanwhile, pirates were taking two European-owned tankers to Somali coastal havens yesterday and are likely to demand ransoms soon, with gangs striking further afield to avoid patrolling warships, maritime groups said.