Bellingham said the transfer was an important step forward in ensuring pirates are brought to justice.

He further said the transfer deal between Somaliland and Seychelles signed during the London Conference on Somalia was “a ground breaking agreement” to transfer convicted pirates to prisons in Somaliland.

He praised the cooperation between regional and international partners to make this happen, saying that he hopped to see more transfers of this nature in the future.

Bellingham added that the transfers serve to strengthen and secure the cycle of justice that sees pirates being held to account for their actions.

His sentiment come a day after Seychelles has for the first time handed over convicted pirates to the Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.

Nine Somali pirates were on Wednesday handed over the regional administration where they will serve 10 to 20 years of jail term.

A plane carrying the nine prisoners who have been sentenced in Seychelles arrived in Hargeisa as part of an earlier deal between Seychelles and Somaliland.

Somaliland’s Justice Minister Hussein Ahmed Aideed said they are expecting soon another patch of convicted pirates from the Island.

The minister, however, added that convicted pirates who are natives of Puntland region would not be handed to them.