The Bulgarian sailors on board the vessels St James Park and Asian Glory, both of which were boarded by Somali Pirates, are alive and well, Dragovest Goranov, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by Bulgarian media on February 2 2010.

According to the report, "negotiations for their release are ongoing".

"Both ships are supplied with fresh water, food, and fuel. The crews are fine and are not deprived of their basic needs," Goranov said, cited by Dnevnik daily.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said that rumours that the Somali pirates staged the shooting of Asian Glory's Bulgarian skipper were unfounded.

On December 29, world media reported that Somali pirates hijacked the UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden with five Bulgarian sailors on board.

Aboard the St James Park vessel were sailors from Bulgaria, Russia, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, India and the Philippines.

Another UK flagged ship, the Asian Glory, was also taken while ferrying cars off the Somali coast. She was boarded by pirates late on January 1 2010.

This was the second seizure in five days of a ship managed by Zodiac.

In response to the crisis, on January 4 2010, the Bulgarian Navy said it was contemplating deploying the Druzki (Daring) frigate to the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to boost the international task force currently entrusted with keeping international waters free of pirate attacks.

Bulgarian Navy Rear Admiral Plamen Manoushev told Bulgarian National Television (BNT) in Varna on January 4, that the frigate is mobilised and ready for deployment – the only obstacle remains financial support. About six million leva is needed if the frigate is to be sent on a two-month mission.