Pirates release Maltese-flagged ship

Somali pirates this morning released a Turkish-owned cargo ship and its crew of 21 people nearly four months after seizing the vessel, a company lawyer told AFP.

"The pirates abandoned the ship, the Frigia, at 7:25 am (0425 GMT) this morning. It has since been under the captain's control," said Nilgun Yamaner, who represents the ship's owners, the Istanbul-based Kayra shipping company.

The ship's crew of 19 Turks and two Ukranians were in good health, she added.

"We have talked to the captain. They are all very excited and happy," Yamaner added.

The Maltese-flagged vessel was seized by pirates on March 23 in the Indian Ocean about a day after passing through the warship-patrolled transit corridor in the Gulf of Aden, which commercial vessels are encouraged to use.

The 35,000-tonne ship had been sailing from Israel to Thailand with a load of fertilizer when it was kidnapped.

The lawyer said the ship's release had been secured through negotiations but would not say if a ransom had been paid.

"We made some material and immaterial sacrifices," she added.

After its release, the Frigia left the shores of Somalia to meet the Turkish frigate Gelibolu, which serves as part of a NATO anti-piracy force in the region, Yamaner said.

"We expect the two vessels to meet up in two or three hours," she said.

Yamaner added that the ship's owners would meet on Thursday to determine a port where the vessel would dock and change crew.

"The current crew will be sent home after their ordeal. The vessel will continue on to Thailand with a new crew to deliver its load," she added.

Turkey's maritime undersecretariat also confirmed that the vessel had been released and said it was now sailing towards Oman, in a statement carried by the Anatolia news agency.

Foreign naval powers have since 2008 deployed dozens of warships in a bid to secure the Gulf of Aden, a crucial maritime route leading to the Suez Canal through which tens of thousands of merchant vessels transit each year.

But pirates have gradually extended their area of operations, seizing ships as far east as the Maldives' territorial waters and as far south as the Canal of Mozambique.

Naval missions, including the European Union's Atalanta deployment, have boasted success in curbing attacks but the number of hijacked ships and detained seafarers remains at one of its highest levels since Somali piracy surged in 2007.

Unofficial figures show that 2009 was the most prolific year yet for Somali pirates, with more than 200 attacks -- including 68 successful hijackings -- and a total in ransoms paid believed to exceed 50 million dollars.