[Al Ahram] Eleven crew members held hostage by  Somali pirates for more than three years have been released, regional and United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
officials said on Saturday.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates has fallen over the last two years due to increased naval patrols and the presence of well-armed security teams on ships. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
38 crew members remain in captivity, the U.N. said.
The 11 men freed on Friday were crew on Malaysian-owned cargo vessel MV Albedo which was hijacked 900 miles (1,500 kms) off Somalia in November 2010 while sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Kenya.
"They are all healthy," said Abdi Yusuf Hassan, the interior minister of Galmudug
...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth...
region. He said no ransom was paid.
MV Albedo's 23-man crew was made up of sailors from Pakistain, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran when it was seized.
Seven of the ship's crew were released in 2012 while four others drowned when the ship sank last year.
Media reports have suggested one hostage was killed soon after the vessel was hijacked.
Nick Kay, the U.N.'s envoy to Somalia, said the 11 crew have been flown to Kenya and will be sent back to their respective countries in coming days.
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