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| Somali pirates free Turkish vessel, crew |
 Nairobi,(WNT):-Somali pirates have released a Turkish ship and its 21 crew four months after the cargo boat was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, reports say.
"The captain told us all personnel...were very happy and excited after the recent developments and that everybody was healthy and safe," Reuters quoted Nilgun Yamaner, a lawyer for the ship's operating company, as saying on Thursday.
The Maltese-flagged ship was seized off the Indian coast with a crew of 19 Turks and two Ukrainians on March 23.
The 35,000-tonne ship was carrying a load of fertilizer to Thailand when it was kidnapped.
According to the lawyer, the ship was released through negotiations but it was not clear whether a ransom was paid.
It is now heading toward a Turkish frigate which serves as part of a NATO anti-piracy force around Somalia.
In recent years, Somali pirates have expanded the reach of their attacks, preying on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
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