Puntland,(insidesomalia.org)- Somali pirates have freed a Thai cargo ship and its 28 crew after hijacking it more than two months ago.

A source at Thoresen Thai Agencies Plc, which owns the vessel and is Thailand's biggest shipping company, confirmed yesterday the release of its MV Thor Star, which was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia on Aug 12.

All crew members on board were safe, said the source.

However, no details were given about whether any ransom had been paid to release the vessel and crew.

The ship is now headed towards an unnamed port in the Middle East where the crew will be debriefed and undergo medical checks and offered psychological counselling before being flown home.

A replacement crew is being sent to meet the vessel on arrival. The ship has suffered no apparent damage and will resume trading immediately.

The immediate families of the crew will also be offered counselling.

South Korean bulker Bright Ruby, which was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Sept 10 as it was sailing from Europe to Asia with cargo, was also freed on Friday.

A group of 22 sailors and crew were released.

The crew members who were released on Thursday from the South Korean cargo vessel - eight South Koreans and 14 Burmese citizens - were heading toward a US navy vessel in the area after being set free earlier in the day, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young told reporters.

Mr Moon said the sailors were all safe but declined to comment on whether a ransom was paid.

The latest incident has prompted the South Korean government to also consider dispatching naval vessels in waters off Somalia to counter any possible hijacking of South Korean ships.

More than a third of global piracy attacks in the second quarter occurred off Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau.

Piracy is rife off Somalia, which has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991.

The total number of incidents of piracy worldwide were down by 9.5% in the first half of the year, to 114 cases.

 Source: Shabelle and Bangkok post