Twenty-two sailors on board were freed after a two-week siege by maritime police, according to statement
Twenty-two sailors held hostage by Somali pirates with their ship for almost three years have been freed after a two-week siege by maritime police, the government of the breakaway Somali enclave of Puntland has said.
The crew of the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg 1, who are from the Philippines, India, Yemen, Sudan, Ghana and Pakistan, had been held for longer than any other hostages captured by pirates who prey on shipping in the region, according to the president's office of the northern Somali enclave.
Police laid siege to the vessel on 10 December near the coastal village of Gara'ad, in the region of Mudug.
"After two years and nine months in captivity, the hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness. They are now receiving nutrition and medical care," a statement said.
The ship originally had a crew of 24, but, according to the pirates, two had died since the roll-on, roll-off cargo vessel was seized on 29 March 2010, about 10 miles from Aden.
One of the pirate leaders said they released the ship after negotiations with Puntland officials and local elders. "They kindly requested the release of the ship we held for three years. Puntland forces had attacked us and tried to release the ship by force but they failed. We fought back and defeated them," the pirate known as Farah told Reuters.
Farah did not disclose whether a ransom was paid for the crew and the 4,500 tonne ship, owned by Azal Shipping in Dubai.
Pirates rarely release ships without ransom, and usually raise their demands the longer they hold a vessel, because they charge for their expenses. International navies have had some recent success containing piracy in the Indian Ocean.
Although more than 100 hostages taken off Somalia are still being held captive, the number of hijackings of ships dropped to seven in the first 11 months of this year compared with 24 in the whole of 2011.
Separately, Puntland said a group of eight Puntland soldiers responsible for briefly trying to sail away with a North Korea-flagged vessel, MV Daesan, and its 33-member crew were jailed by a Puntland military court on 22 December.
The ship was ferrying cement to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and was impounded by the Puntland authorities and fined last month after it was accused of ditching its cargo off Somalia's coast.
The soldiers had taken the vessel on 18 December.
"Puntland government managed to return the vessel back to the port within 24 hours; the soldiers were arrested and will be brought to justice," the authorities said.
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Guardian