Somali Pirates Free Danish Family Following 6 Months In Captivity

The Foreign Ministry of Denmark confirmed on Wednesday that the family of 5 Danish sailors, including children and two crewmembers, have finally been released from their Somali captors after being held hostage for 6 months and are confirmed to be doing well and en route back to Denmark.

Earlier this year, the Quist Johansen’s were aboard their yacht in a round-the-world voyage, including their three children between ages 12-16. In February, the family was sailing through the Indian Ocean when the Naval Command in Demark received distress signals from the Johansen’s yacht, where they were subsequently seized by pirates about 300 nautical miles off of Somalia and held captive under ransom payment.

A Somali source, Abduwahab Ali, reported to AFP that the pirates over the course of the past few weeks had been undergoing mediation for the release of the Danes with individuals independent of the government. He disclosed that they reached an agreement of a 3 million dollar ransom payment in exchange for the Danish family. Ecoterra International reported that the money was air-dropped to the pirates and the family was released and brought to safety after the receipt of the offering.

The Foreign Minister of Denmark, Lene Espersen, reported that the Danish government was in no way responsible or involved with the ransom payment to the pirates, and added that family and friends of the Johansen’s were the negotiators, adding that the Danish state never pays ransom based on principle.