ODESA, JULY, 4th, 2009, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE – Six seamen of M/V Marathon released from the Somali pirates’ captivity returned to Odesa yesterday, 3 July, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The agency was informed about it today,4 July at the press-service of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

According to the press-service both their families and MFA officers met them in the airport. The seamen were given help in passing through customs formalities after that they were transported to Izmail.

Today, 4 July, the last crewmember is expected to arrive home.

Transportation of the dead seaman’s body will be carried out several days later after autopsy and finding the cause of death.

As Context-Prichernomorie reported before, 7 May, in the Gulf of Aden Somali pirates took a cargo vessel Marathon (owned by Western Marine Transport NV, the Netherlands) hostage. The ship was carrying 2500 tons of coke. The crew consisted of 8 Ukrainian citizens from Odesa and Odesa Oblast.

During the attack Serhiy Vartenkov (the welder) died and Heorhiy Husakov got wounded. However in the course of negotiations the information was not publicized by the crewmembers under the threat of death.

For the vessel’s release the pirates received 1,3 million US dollars. 23 June having received the ransom the pirates abandoned the vessel.

In the afternoon, 27 June M/V Marathon berthed in the port of Djibouti.