Sailors Released by Somali Pirates Arrive in Bulgaria Friday

The St. James Park tanker has been released by the Somali pirates after almost five months in captivity. Photo by media.shipspotting.com

The five Bulgarian sailors from the kidnapped St James Park are arriving in Bulgaria on Friday, May 21, the Foreign Ministry informs Thursday.

They will land at the airport of the Black Sea city of Varna and will be met by friends and relatives.

A short briefing is scheduled for 2:30 pm in the VIP Hall at the airport.

The St. James Park ship was on its way to Thailand on December 29, 2009, when Somali pirates hijacked it in the Gulf of Aden, a body of water between Somalia and Yemen.

The 13,924-tonne ship's had 26 crew from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Georgia, India, Turkey and the Philippines.

The Somali pirates released the vessel operated by the UK company Zodiac on May 14, but there is no information about the amount of the ransom that was paid.

8 Bulgarian sailors from the Asian Glory cargo vessel hijacked two days after St. James Park remain in Somali captivity as do the 15-member crew of the Bulgarian-flagged ship MV Panega hijacked in mid-May.

The 5 released sailors are said to be in good health.

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