20110423
reuters

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates have freed a Greek-owned, Cyprus-flagged ship they seized in January after receiving a ransom, pirates and a piracy monitoring group said.

The pirates said they had released MV Eagle, a 52,163 deadweight tonne merchant vessel and its crew of 24 Filipinos that was seized in January about 500 miles south-west of Oman, while it was en route to India from Jordan.

Pirates said they received a $6 million ransom for the ship's release.

"We have received our $6 million .... The ship has just started to sail away from our zone with a warship," a pirate who gave his name as Kalif told Reuters by phone from the coastal town of El-Dhanane.

The amount could not be verified but Ecoterra, an advocacy group monitoring piracy in the Indian Ocean, confirmed a ransom was paid.

"After having received a hefty ransom for the old bulk carrier, Somali buccaneers released the Greek-owned and Cypriot-flagged MV Eagle. Vessel and crew made their way to safe waters," it said in a statement.

Two decades of conflict in Somalia have allowed piracy to flourish off the lawless nation's shores.

Pirates typically do not kill crews held hostage in the expectation of receiving a ransom for a vessel's release.