Somali pirates have released a Dutch ship they hijacked off the northern Somali coast last month, regional maritime official confirmed on Wednesday.
Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers' Assistance Program in Kenya said the Somali gunmen released Amiya Scan on early Wednesday after its owners paid a ransom of 1.1 million U.S. dollars.
"We received the reports about the release of the Amiya Scan today. The ship owners paid 1.1 million dollar ransom for the release of the vessel but we have not established whether the crewmembers are fine," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone.
The vessel, managed by the Dutch Reider Shipping BV, was hijacked by Somali pirates on May 25 as it made its way to Romania from the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
The Dutch freighter has four Russian officers and five Filipino sailors on board.
The shipping company, Reider Shipping, said in a statement the vessel was en route to the Suez canal and all its crew members were well.
The latest development comes after the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution on piracy off the Somali coast, calling on nations to deploy ships and planes in collaboration with the Somali government to hunt the pirates down.
The resolution permits countries that have the agreement of Somalia's interim government to use any means to repress acts of piracy in the next six months. Twenty-seven ships have been attacked by pirates in the waters in the past year.
Somalia's coastal waters are near shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The country's government is unable to police its coastline.
Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers' Assistance Program in Kenya said the Somali gunmen released Amiya Scan on early Wednesday after its owners paid a ransom of 1.1 million U.S. dollars.
"We received the reports about the release of the Amiya Scan today. The ship owners paid 1.1 million dollar ransom for the release of the vessel but we have not established whether the crewmembers are fine," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone.
The vessel, managed by the Dutch Reider Shipping BV, was hijacked by Somali pirates on May 25 as it made its way to Romania from the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
The Dutch freighter has four Russian officers and five Filipino sailors on board.
The shipping company, Reider Shipping, said in a statement the vessel was en route to the Suez canal and all its crew members were well.
The latest development comes after the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution on piracy off the Somali coast, calling on nations to deploy ships and planes in collaboration with the Somali government to hunt the pirates down.
The resolution permits countries that have the agreement of Somalia's interim government to use any means to repress acts of piracy in the next six months. Twenty-seven ships have been attacked by pirates in the waters in the past year.
Somalia's coastal waters are near shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The country's government is unable to police its coastline.