5 Bulgarian Sailors Make It Home after Months in Somali Captivity

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 St James Park tanker are scheduled to land in the city of Varna at 2:30 pm Friday.

Immediately after the landing, the five men are expected to speak at a brief press conference.

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.

After its release, the St. James tanker went to Oman where the sailors underwent medical examinations and were interrogated by the authorities.

The 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.

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