Members of the crew of the ship “Olib, more than a year in captivity by Somali pirates released, said” Georgia Online. “
It should be noted that the vessel “Olib” owned by Greek company and swept under the Maltese flag, was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, September 8, 2010. His crew consisted of 15 Georgian and 3 Turkish sailors. First, the pirates demanded a ransom of $ 15 million, then lowered their requirements up to $ 9 million. The shipowner, for its part offered to ransom the ship itself, but the pirates did not agree.
Now all the captives released and reportedly “are controlled by the Georgian authorities ship headed towards one of the safest ports in Kenya”. Soon the sailors to return to their homeland. Negotiations on their release were high-ranking Georgian officials, and “the whole process of negotiations had been under the direct supervision of the President of the country.” About the size of the pirates, and whether a ransom had to be implied, nothing was reported.
