Somali pirates released 22 sailors they kidnapped last month after the South Korean ship owner paid a ransom, an official said Friday as India announced it plans to send a warship off the troubled nation's coast. The eight South Koreans and 14 Myanmarese were freed on Thursday. They had been held since their 15,000-ton cargo ship was seized off the coast of the east African nation on September 10.Koo Ja-Woo, an executive director of J and J Trust, which owns the ship, said his firm paid an unspecified sum to the pirates through a foreign middleman with experience in dealing with the seizure of ships. "As a result, we could secure the early release of the sailors. But I can't disclose the amount," he told Yonhap news agency.
J and J officials and South Korea's Foreign Ministry were not immediately available for comment. The ministry said earlier the South Koreans were expected to return home on October 26.
Meanwhile, India said Friday it was deploying a warship off Somalia to protect its merchant vessels. The move comes after the MT Stolt Valor carrying mainly Indian crew was hijacked on September 17 by Somali pirates in the gulf. "The government has approved the deployment of one warship with immediate effect to patrol the route followed by Indian flagships between Oman and Yemen," a Defense Ministry official said. The number of warships could be boosted later, he added. The "anti-piracy patrol" vessel will have helicopters and marine commandos on board, said a ministry statement late on Thursday.
The deployment follows weeks of protests by shipworkers and families of the detained crew who have been demanding rescue efforts for the MT Stolt Valor's crew of 22. The includes 18 Indians, two Filipinos, a Bangladeshi as well as a Russian. "The presence of the Indian Navy in the area will help to protect our seaborne trade and instill confidence in our seafaring community, as well as function as a deterrent for pirates," the statement said.