A South African couple kidnapped by Somali pirates 20 months ago aboard a yacht in the Indian Ocean have been freed and flown out of Somalia today
Looking thin and stressed, one of the sailors, Bruno Pelizzari, told reporters the release followed a negotiated settlement.
He did not say if a ransom had been paid.
“Today we are happy to get our freedom back,” Pelizzari said at the presidential palace complex in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Pelizzari and his companion Debbie Calitz later left the Horn of Africa nation for Djibouti, two sources in the Somali prime minister’s office said.
The South African government thanked the Somali government and Italy for their roles in securing the release of the couple.
It did not give any details about the roles played.
Armed pirates hijacked the yacht Choizil in October 2010 as it was about to enter the Mozambique channel south of the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam.
The sea bandits rerouted the boat north to Somalia where a French warship began tracking it because it was sailing suspiciously close to the coastline.
After attempts to contact the yacht failed, the warship launched a boarding team which came under fire from the yacht.
The Choizil ran aground, pirates took Pelizzari and Calitz ashore, but the captain refused to leave and was later rescued..
The pirate gang initially demanded $10 million (R80m) from the families of Pelizzari and his companion Debbie Calitz.
The ransom demand dropped as low as $500,000 (R4 million) in March last year, according to a blog set up to highlight their plight, but was raised again as negotiations stumbled.
Somali pirates preying on merchant vessels and private yachts in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden raked in more than $150 million in ransoms last year.
The South Africans' 20-month captivity is among the longest periods hostages have been held by pirates.
When Somali pirates first began attacking ships off East Africa in about 2005, they attacked large container ships. But as those vessels improved their on-board defences, pirates began attacking more vulnerable private yachts.
An international flotilla of warships now patrols waters off Somalia, leading to a decrease in pirate attacks over the last year.
The European Union Naval Force says Somali pirates currently hold 7 ships and 213 hostages.
The EU force says 25 ships were hijacked last year, down from 47 in 2010.
Only 5 ships have been hijacked in 2012, an indication that on-board defences and the international patrols are succeeding against pirate attacks.
The EU Naval Force saw its mandate expand earlier this year and is now allowed to carry out attacks on the Somali coast against suspected pirates.
Durban couple freed by captors!
A South African couple kidnapped by Somali pirates 20 months ago aboard a yacht in the Indian Ocean have been freed and flown out of Somalia today
Looking thin and stressed, one of the sailors, Bruno Pelizzari, told reporters the release followed a negotiated settlement.
He did not say if a ransom had been paid.
“Today we are happy to get our freedom back,” Pelizzari said at the presidential palace complex in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Pelizzari and his companion Debbie Calitz later left the Horn of Africa nation for Djibouti, two sources in the Somali prime minister’s office said.
The South African government thanked the Somali government and Italy for their roles in securing the release of the couple.
It did not give any details about the roles played.
Armed pirates hijacked the yacht Choizil in October 2010 as it was about to enter the Mozambique channel south of the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam.
The sea bandits rerouted the boat north to Somalia where a French warship began tracking it because it was sailing suspiciously close to the coastline.
After attempts to contact the yacht failed, the warship launched a boarding team which came under fire from the yacht.
The Choizil ran aground, pirates took Pelizzari and Calitz ashore, but the captain refused to leave and was later rescued..
The pirate gang initially demanded $10 million (R80m) from the families of Pelizzari and his companion Debbie Calitz.
The ransom demand dropped as low as $500,000 (R4 million) in March last year, according to a blog set up to highlight their plight, but was raised again as negotiations stumbled.
Somali pirates preying on merchant vessels and private yachts in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden raked in more than $150 million in ransoms last year.
The South Africans' 20-month captivity is among the longest periods hostages have been held by pirates.
When Somali pirates first began attacking ships off East Africa in about 2005, they attacked large container ships. But as those vessels improved their on-board defences, pirates began attacking more vulnerable private yachts.
An international flotilla of warships now patrols waters off Somalia, leading to a decrease in pirate attacks over the last year.
The European Union Naval Force says Somali pirates currently hold 7 ships and 213 hostages.
The EU force says 25 ships were hijacked last year, down from 47 in 2010.
Only 5 ships have been hijacked in 2012, an indication that on-board defences and the international patrols are succeeding against pirate attacks.
The EU Naval Force saw its mandate expand earlier this year and is now allowed to carry out attacks on the Somali coast against suspected pirates.
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