Somali pirates have released one of two Yemeni fishing ships they hijacked earlier this month, a Yemeni Coast Guard source said Saturday, dpa reported.
The source said the ship MV Falluja arrived with 12 crewmen on board at the southern port of Aden Saturday after the pirates freed it. The source would not say whether a ransom was paid.
Pirates attacked the two ships - MV Falluja and MV Qana'a - in the Gulf of Aden on December 10 and took 22 fishermen hostage. MV Qana'a was still being held by the pirates on Saturday, the source said.
The pirates attacked the ships as they sailed off the Mait area near the southern port city of Aden.
Before the pirates took control of the ships, seven fishermen escaped on a small boat to report the attacks to the Yemeni Coast Guard Authority in Aden, the statement said.
Earlier in the moth, Somali pirates freed a Yemeni cargo ship two weeks after they hijacked it in the Arabian Sea and demanded 2 million dollars in ransom.
Yemeni officials said it was released without ransom after negotiations between the pirates and Somali tribal leaders.