Somali pirates freed a Dutch freighter with a Ukrainian crew on Tuesday, nearly two months after the vessel was first captured in the Gulf of Aden, Ukrainian authorities said.
The Dutch government said one crew member had been shot dead by the pirates, and another had been wounded. Dutch marines were providing medical assistance and escorting the ship back to neutral waters, the Foreign Ministry said.
”According to the Ukrainian embassy in The Netherlands, Somali pirates on June 23 released the Marathon vessel with eight Ukrainian citizens,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It was not clear how or why the ship was freed. A spokesperson for the Dutch Foreign Ministry said force was not used but could not comment on whether a ransom was paid.
The Ukrainian embassy in The Hague was not available for comment.
The 2 575-tonne Marathon was westbound through the Gulf of Aden when it was seized May 7.
Up to early June there have been 29 successful hijackings of ships off of Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. — Reuters