Pirates say they've freed Spaniards after ransom paid

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates said on Saturday they had released two Spanish sailors held hostage on the hijacked Italian-flagged tanker Savina Caylyn, after receiving $5 million (3 million pounds) in ransom.

Jose Alfonso Garcia and Alfonso Rey were originally from the Mozambique-flagged and Spanish-owned fishing vessel FV VEGA 5,

seized by pirates last December with 24 crew near the Comoros Islands.

There was no independent confirmation of their release.

Pirates said a ransom payment was airdropped onto the hijacked Italian tanker on Saturday.

"We have received $5 million in ransom early this morning in exchange for the two Spanish men," a pirate who gave his name as Adam told Reuters from the Savina Caylyn, moored near the town of Hobyo.

"The hostages have sailed away on a small boat."

Spain's High Court sentenced two Somali pirates to 439 years in prison each for their part in the hijacking of a Spanish fishing boat in the Indian Ocean in 2009.

Somali pirates typically hijack merchant vessels, take the ships to coastal towns they control and hold them until a ransom is paid. With ransoms often in the millions of dollars, the lucrative trade has continued despite foreign naval patrols.

Pirates used to focus on larger ships for a big payoff, but are now holding crew hostage on vessels of various sizes, often not the ones on which they were captured.

The Savina Caylyn was carrying a load of crude for the Arcadia commodities trading company. It was sailing from the Bashayer Oil Terminal in Sudan and was destined for Pasir Gudang port in Malaysia.

(Reporting by Mohamed Ahmed; editing by Andrew Roche)