(CNN) -- Somali pirates freed a Nigerian tugboat they seized 10 months ago, and the Dutch navy frigate De Zeven Provincien was escorting it to a safe harbor, the Dutch Defense Ministry said Saturday.
The tug, Yenegoa Ocean, and its Nigerian crew were released Friday. The Dutch were providing medical and logistical aid, according to a ministry statement. No injuries were reported.
Pirates hijacked the Yenegoa Ocean, which sails under a Panamanian flag, on August 4, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden. The tug was returning from Singapore where it had undergone maintenance and repairs.
The Gulf of Aden, off northern Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy anywhere in the world, the Dutch said. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Multinational vessels, some operating under NATO and the European Union, patrol the waters off Somalia trying to stop pirate attacks and hijackings.
All About Gulf of Aden • Pirates • Somalia • NATO
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