Somali pirates free Turkish ship after four months

Somali pirates have released the Turkish ship Frigia which they hijacked four months ago, Turkish state-run broadcast TRT reported.

A vessel, hijacked by Somali pirates in March off-coast of Somalia, has been released, a lawyer with the vessel's Turkey-based owner company said.

The Malta-flagged cargo ship, Frigia, was set free early on Thursday, Turkey's maritime authority also confirmed, after negotiations paid-off between the Izmir-based Karya Maritime Co. and the pirates, who have been holding the ship and its 21-member crew hostage for 128 days since March 23.

The crew was reported to be in good condition and the ship was expected to meet shortly with the Turkish frigate Gelibolu, serving as part of an international task force to prevent piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

The vessel was carrying fertilizer from Israel to Thailand. The crew includes a Turkish captain, 19 Turkish and two Ukrainian sailors.