26 sailors freed after being held by Somali pirates for 4 years

NAIROBI, Kenya — Twenty-six Asian sailors freed after being held hostage by Somali pirates for more than four years arrived in Nairobi Sunday.

The sailors were released after a ransom was paid, and international mediators said it “represents the end of captivity for the last remaining seafarers taken hostage during the height of Somali piracy.”

The crew from Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, China and the Phil- ippines had been among the few hostages still in the hands of Somali pirates.

The sailors were the crew of the FV Naham 3, a Taiwan-owned fishing vessel seized in March 2012, said pirate, Bile Hussein. The ship later sank.

Hussein said $1.5 million in ransom was paid for the sailors’ release. That claim could not be independently verified.

The 26 sailors will be repatriated to their home countries.