The Russian captain of the Ukrainian vessel Faina has been buried in Saint Petersburg on Thursday. Vladimir Kolobkov died from a heart failure three days after Somali pirates seized his ship in September last year.
The ship was released only last week after 5 months in captivity.
When hijacked, the vessel was carrying large amounts of weaponry, including 33 T-72 tanks. It was manned by 21 crew – 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Latvian.
Around $US 3 million ransom was paid to free Faina.