Eight South Korean seamen that were released last week by pirates in Somalia after being held hostage since April will return home this week, officials of the seamen's company said Sunday.
Seven of the eight South Korean crew members will arrive at Incheon International Airport Wednesday (Korean standard time) via Nairobi and Dubai, after leaving the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on Tuesday, officials from Dongwon Fisheries Co. said.
The South Koreans are currently in Mombasa to take a brief rest and medical checkup.
One other South Korean, a chief engineer, is scheduled to separately return home around Friday when he finishes transferring the ship to a new engineer coming to Mombasa.
The fishing boat manned by the eight South Koreans and 17 other nationals was seized in April off the coast of Somalia by a group of local pirates, and was released last Saturday in return for a ransom after protracted negotiations with the seamen's employer.
The company refused to disclose the amount of ransom, saying it would set a negative precedent, but South Korean media reports claimed that about US $800,000 was paid for the crew's release. Of the 17 others, three Chinese already left Mombasa and the rest are expected to choose between flying to Seoul with the South Koreans or staying on the ship.
The company plans to resume the operation of the fishing boat after about 10 days of transferring work, the officials said.
Mombasa, Kenya, Aug. 6 (Yonhap News)
Freed S. Korean seamen to arrive home Wednesday |
