At least 18 Filipino seamen and one Greek crew member aboard a hijacked cargo vessel have been freed after the ship owner paid ransom, Radio dzBB reported Monday. They had been in captivity for two months. The crew members of the MV Navios Apollon were taken when the ship was overrun by Somali pirates last December 28, 2009. The cargo vessel was hijacked off Seychelles Island while heading for India from the United States. The cargo vessel was hijacked about 240 nautical miles ease of Seychelles Island while heading for India from the United States with a cargo of fertilizer. The dzBB said the crew members were in “relatively good condition.? The Department of Foreign Affairs added in a release posted on its website that the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs has coordinated with the vessel's local manning agency.
