A South Korean court has sentenced a Somali pirate to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the hijacking of a South Korean ship.

Abdulahi Husseen Maxamuud was convicted Wednesday of maritime robbery and other charges connected to the hijacking of the chemical carrier Samho Jewelry in the Arabian Sea.

Maxamuud on Wednesday apologized for the hijacking but denied he took part in it, saying he was only a cook for the pirates.

Prosecutors had asked that he be sentenced to life in prison.

Somali pirates seized the Samho Jewelry on January 15. South Korean Navy commandos freed the ship and its crew six days later, in an operation in which eight pirates were killed and five others captured.

The four pirates captured along with Maxamuud have already been sentenced to long prison terms. Two have appealed their sentences.