Somali Pirates Set Free 15 Bulgarian Sailors from MV Panega Ship
The 15-member crew of the Bulgarian ship MV Panega have been released by the Somali pirates who had hijacked the vessel and are in good health.
Released Bulgaria Sailors Safe and Sound
Crime | May 10, 2009, Sunday // 12:42
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Bulgaria's Deputy Foreign Minister Milen Keremedchiev has declined to disclose the size of the ransom paid to the Somali pirates. Photo by BGNES
The Bulgarian sailors, who were released on Saturday by their Somali abductors for an undisclosed ransom, are doing well, the country's deputy foreign minister assured.
"The good news is that the ship has been freed and is on its way to Colombo, Sri Lanka. All Bulgarian sailors are safe and are doing well. Should they decide to stay at Colombo, the country's consul there will be expecting them," Milen Keremedchiev told the Bulgarian National Radio.
Keremedchiev declined to disclose the size of the ransom, saying that Bulgaria never undertook any responsibility for the money demanded by the Pirates since these have been relations between the ship's owners and the abductors.
"The money was sent on a flight and the sailors were released immediately after the pirates received the ransom," the Bulgarian minister said.
The Malaspina Castle ship was hijacked on April 6, 2009, in the Gulf of Aden. It is UK-owned under Panamanian flag. 16 of its 24-member crew are Bulgarians, and the rest include Russians, Ukrainians, and Filipinos.
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