Somali pirates have released MT Savina Caylyn and its 22 man crew after an alleged ransom of $11.5 million was paid to secure their release. The Italian ship owners Fratelli D’Amato of Naples refused to confirm if any ransom payment was made.
The vessel managed by V ship of India Pvt. Ltd was initially hijacked on 8th February carrying a cargo of crude oil to Malaysia approximately 800 Nm from the Somali coast.
The crew endured 11 months of captivity at the hands of the pirates but are now free and looking forward to being reunited with their families for Christmas.
It is believed that approximately 200 hostages are still being held by the pirates with at least two females Judith Tebbit from UK and Debbie Calitz from South Africa spending her second Christmas in captivity along with her boyfriend Bruno Pelizzari. They were hijacked on board Yacht Chozil in September 2010.
Somali Pirates have captured fewer vessels so far this year predominately because of the increased presence of armed guards on vessels, which have repelled a vast number of attacks.
