A Greek ship with Ukrainian crew held by Somali pirates for more than seven months has been freed. Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko made the announcement after the ship Ariana's owners said they had paid an undisclosed sum to secure the ship's release. Pirates claimed that they received nearly three million dollars in ransom. Mr. Yushchenko said a plane would soon bring the crew back to Ukraine. The ship and its 24-strong crew were captured as it sailed south-west of the Seychelles on 2 May. According to a seafarers' organisation the Maltese-flagged ship, said to be carrying 35,000 tons of soya, was sailing from the Middle East to Brazil when it was captured.