Somali pirates have released the Asian Glory ship, which has eight Bulgarians aboard, the Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Dikusarov announced on June 11, cited by Gazeta Po Kievski daily.

Reportedly, the vessel was released on June 11 at noon. The Ukrainian foreign ministry does not have information about the whereabouts of the ship or the health condition of the sailors.

The pirates hijacked Asian Glory in the Indian Ocean at the beginning of January. The crew comprised eight Bulgarians, 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians.

Captain Prodan Radanov, manager of Zodiac firm, initially said he could not confirm news of the release. Subsequently, however, the news was confirmed by the owner of the vessel Zodiac. The ship is expected to sail off to Oman, escorted by a British military ship, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry announced.

Asian Glory was boarded by pirates off Somali coast on January 1 2010. The pirates reportedly demanded $15 million in ransom. Supposedly, the figure was the "insurance of the ship and the value of the cargo – all vehicles included". The ship was reportedly ferrying 2305 Korean-made cars from Singapore to Saudi Arabia.

On February 18, the last reports of the Asian Glory were that the abducted British-flagged ship ventured into the open ocean, heading south of the Somali coast. Subsequently, the cargo ship, whose crew includes eight Bulgarian sailors along with 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians, was moored neared the coast.