Two Hijacked Ships, Crews Released by Pirates
Good news from the coast of Somalia: An Egyptian cargo ship with a crew of 25, which was hijacked by Somali pirates three weeks ago, and a Japanese ship with 21 crew members that was captured more than 3 months ago, were both released by the Somali pirates holding them captive. A $2 million ransom was paid in the case of the Japanese ship; there is no word on whether a ransom was paid for the Egyptian vessel.
Meanwhile, warships from several countries surrounded the hijacked Ukrainian ship the Faina, which was carrying a cargo of weapons and tanks bound for Kenya.