Somali pirates have released an Indian cargo ship after a ransom was reportedly paid, Kenyan maritime officials said Friday. The pirates freed the MSV Al Hakik in the Somali port of Hobyo, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers Assistance Programme. The freighter was hijacked on May 24.
"The vessel was freed on Tuesday and the hijackers said they had been paid ransom, but we do not know how much the ransom was," he told AFP. "She is now discharging her cargo at the port of Kismayo before sailing to Muscat," Mwangura said, adding that the ship's 14 Indian crew members were unharmed.