Somali pirates on June 23 freed a Dutch freighter that had an eight-member Ukrainian crew.
The release came nearly two months after the vessel was captured in the Gulf of Aden, after the ship’s owner paid $1.3 million in ransom, Ukrainian authorities said. One crew member was fatally shot by the pirates and another was wounded. Dutch marines were providing medical assistance and escorting the ship back to neutral waters, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. The 2,575-ton Marathon carrying coke fuel was seized May 7.
