ROME, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A hijacked Italian ship was freed after being held hostage by Somali pirates for seven months.
The Rosalia D'Amato freight ship was in the Arabian Sea when two boats full of armed pirates boarded and took control of it April 21, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported.
"We are all OK," said Orazio Lanza, captain of the freighter after the ship was freed Friday.
"For us, their freedom is still forthcoming since the ship is still in Somali waters," Carlo Miccio, head of the cargo firm Perseveranza Navigazione, told ANSA.
Somali pirates are currently holding at least 12 ships. Last year, pirates are believed to have made $80 million from ransom money. Earlier this year, governments reached an international agreement that they would no longer pay ransoms.
