Mogadishu, SOMALIA – According to Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers’ Assistance Program, two ships were released by Somali pirates to the U.S. Navy this afternoon. The South Korean-owned vessels, Muvano 1 and 2, along with its 24 sailors were kidnapped off the Somali coast on May 15. According to South Korean media, the pirates previously demanded between $700,000 and $1 million in ransom.

The hijackers released the ships to the U.S. Navy, which has been patrolling the Somali waters due to the surge of piracy. At the request of the South Korean government, the U.S. Navy is escorting the ships and its crew to a port in Yemen. No injuries were reported.

Commander Lydia Robertson of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain says the increase in U.S military in Somali waters is an opportunity to put some pressure on the pirates. The Navy is also urging the pirates to release the Japanese ship seized last week and two other captured vessels.

Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991, lies near crucial shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

For more information, please see:

Yahoo News- Pirates Leave Ship under US Navy Escort – 4 November 2007

Reuters: Africa- Korean-owned Ships Freed by Somali Pirates-group – 4 November 2007

For more information on Somali Pirates concern, please see the following Impunity Watch reports: Another Hijacked Ship ; BRIEF: Piracy Continues to Plague Somalia ; Piracy and Kidnapping Deepens Food Crisis