Pirates release ship for R27m ransom

Mogadishu - Somali pirates said on Thursday they had released a Greek cargo vessel and its Ukrainian crew after a payment of $3,7-million (about R27-million) more than six months after it was captured in the Indian Ocean.

"After serious negotiations over the past four days, the Ariana is free after the payment of $3,7-million," pirate Ahmed Abdullahi Mohamoud has said.

"The owners of the ship were joking for a while without understanding the seriousness of the situation," he said by phone from Harardhere, a pirate den in northern Somalia.

The Maltese-flagged vessel was seized north of Madagascar on May 2 while on its way to the Middle East from Brazil. It was carrying 10,000 tonnes of soya beans.

The ship is owned by the Athens-based All Ocean Shipping company, which is in turn owned by a British conglomerate. - Sapa-AFP