The twenty-six crew members of the tuna fishing vessel ‘Playa de Bakio’ have been released.
The ‘Playa de Bakio’ was attacked and captured by pirates off the Somali coast last Sunday, April 20th. The crew, 13 Spanish and 13 Africans, are said to be ‘well’ and are now on their way to the Seychelles. They should arrive in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, in about seventy hours. The frigate ‘Mendez Nuñez is providing an escort.
The government vice-president, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, announced the news, saying that the release was as a result of negotiation and diplomacy involving governments and the shipping company. She refused to say, however, whether any ransom had been paid.