Pirates free British ship for ransom

MOMBASA, Kenya, May 10 (UPI) -- Crew members of a British-owned cargo ship were reported in good health after being released by Somali pirates for a ransom, maritime officials in Kenya said.

The 24-member crew and the 32,000-ton Malaspina Castle were seized April 6 in the Gulf of Aden while carrying a cargo of iron.

The crew of 16 Bulgarians and several Russians, Ukrainians and Filipinos were freed Saturday after a ransom was paid to the pirates last week, said Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for the East African Seafarers Assistance Program, based in Mombasa, Kenya.

The amount paid to free the Malaspina crew was not disclosed, the BBC reported.

Pirates continue to attack and seize ships in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden despite the presence of an increasing number of international warships.