ANKARA, October 5 (RIA Novosti) - Somali pirates have released Turkey's Horizon-1 bulk carrier, hijacked three months ago, after receiving a ransom for the vessel, Turkish media said on Monday citing the ship's owner.
Horizon-1, believed to be carrying sulfate, was hijacked by Somali pirates on July 8 in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel, en route to Jordan from Saudi Arabia, had a crew of 23 Turkish seamen.
The amount of the ransom has not been disclosed. According to unofficial sources, the hijackers and the vessel's owner had been negotiating a sum of between $1.5 and $2 million.
"Pirates left the vessel at 17.30 local time [14:30 GMT], and it headed to the Red Sea," Turkey's NTV channel reported.
A spokesman for Horizon Shipping, the company that owns the vessel, said the crew was in good health.
