The Ukrainian ship that had been hijacked by Somali pirates for more than four months has at last arrived in Mombasa, Kenya.
The crew was greeted at the port by Ukrainian officials and then spoke briefly with journalists before being taken away for a medical screening.
“There were a lot of difficulties, negotiations about our liberation and about the liberation of the vessel,” said acting captain Viktor Nikolsky.
Andriy Honcharuk, deputy head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration and a member of the delegation welcoming the Faina crew at the Kenyan port of Mombassa, has denied allegations that some of Faina's military cargo disappeared on the way to Kenya.
“All armaments and military hardware are in place,” he told Interfax on Thursday.
The ship, which was loaded with 33 T-72 tanks, grenade launchers and a large amount of ammunition that had been sold to the Kenyan government, was released after a $US 3.2 million ransom was parachuted onto its decks.
The Faina set sail for Kenya on Saturday with a US military escort and US Navy commandos on board to provide security.