Pirates release hijacked ship

2005-11-28 10:06

Kiev - A Ukrainian ship has been released after being hijacked by gunmen more than a month ago in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia, the Ukrainian government said on Sunday.

"The ship Panagia was released on November 26... and left Somali territorial waters," said a foreign affairs ministry statement.

The 22-member crew were said to be "in a satisfactory state", according the statement, which added that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko had spoken with the captain of the vessel after it was freed.

The pirates seized the Maltese-registered Panagia on October 19, 167km off the Somali coast as it sailed northward from South Africa to Europe with cargo of iron ore and had demanded a $700 000 ransom for its release.

Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) head Andrew Mwangura, based in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, said a ransom had been paid.

"It (the ship) was released yesterday. They paid ransom but the shipowners have refused to divulge the details. It is on its way Europe," Mwangura said.

He said two cargo ships, three fishing vessels and two dhows remain held by Somali pirates.

Piracy has become epidemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of Somalia, where are least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded since mid-March, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

Somalia has had no functioning central administration for the past 14 years and the prime minister of the country's fledgling and largely powerless transitional government appealed for help in combating piracy earlier this year after two hijacked United Nations-chartered food aid vessels were seized.

- AFP