Somali pirates have freed two Spanish seamen seized from the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 near the Comoros almost five months ago, the Fisheries Ministry in Madrid said Saturday.
The men, named as the captain of the Vega 5, Alfonso Rey, and first officer Jose Alfonso Garcia, were safe after an ordeal that began when the Vega 5 was seized on December 28.
The ministry released no details, but Spanish media reports spoke of a ransom of 5 million dollars being paid, dpa reported.
In mid March the Indian Navy intercepted the Vega 5, which is owned by a Spanish fishing company in Galicia, freeing 13 seamen and detaining 61 heavily armed pirates who had apparently been using the ship as a base.
The two Spanish seamen were not aboard, but the pirates holding them sent signs that they were still alive to their families.
India's INS Kalpeni intercepted the Vega 5 some 1,100 kilometres off the west coast of India.
Officers found a cache of about 90 small arms and a number of heavier weapons including rocket-propelled grenades.