Somali pirates have freed a Greek cargo vessel along with its crew of 22 after receiving the demanded ransom, said Greek officials on Monday.
Pirates had hijacked MV Filitsa off the Seychelles on 11 November when it was on its way to South Africa with a cargo of chemicals on board.
The ship's owner, Order Shipping, said that the pirates released MV Filista on Monday after the demanded ransom was delivered earlier in the day. The company said that the three Greek officers and the 19 Filipino crew on board the vessel were safe and healthy, but refused to specify the amount of money paid as ransom.
Meanwhile, the Greek Coast Guard in a statement said MV Filista was heading towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa after being released by he pirates.
The Somali coast, particularity the Gulf of Aden, has been infected with piracy in recent years. More than 160 pirate attacks have been reported in the waters off Somalia last year. The pirates have managed to hijack at least 34 vessels, and are currently holding some 10 ships and 200 hostages. Generally, the crew and the vessels are returned unharmed on receiving the demanded ransom.
Somalia has been without a functioning government since the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre's government in 1991.
Currently, a weak UN-backed interim government under President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is trying to enforce its authority in the country, most of which is controlled by various Islamist insurgent groups.
Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have continued despite the presence of several warships, deployed by navies of the NATO, the European Union, Russia, China, South Korea and India, in the region to protect cargo and cruise ships against piracy.
The UN Security Council has approved four resolutions since June to promote international efforts in fighting the escalating piracy problem off the coast of Somalia, and has authorized countries engaged in anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast to conduct land and air attacks on Somali pirates after obtaining prior permission from the Somali government.
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