Somali pirates release Thai fishing vessel with Russians onboard

8 Mar, 2010 13:55 / Updated 14 years ago

A Thai fishing vessel with a crew including 23 Russians - is now on its way to the Seychelles, after being released by Somali pirates on Sunday.

The "Thai Union-3"  was seized last October and the sailors spent more than 4 months in captivity.

There have been reports a ransom of $3 million was paid to release them, but the boat's owners have refused to confirm this.

The vessel is being escorted by a Russian navy tugboat and will be handed over to the local Coast Guard as soon as it reaches the territorial waters of the Seychelles.

The crew are said to be in good health, and are expected to head back to Russia in the next few days.