Mikhail Voitenko told CNN all the pirates had left the ship Thursday night, and a man who identified himself as one of the pirates who was involved in the hijacking also confirmed the pirates were no longer on the vessel.
Voitenko said his information was confirmed by the MV Faina's owner, Vadim Alperin, who authorized him to make a statement.
The pirates seized the ship in neutral waters near Kenya and Somalia in September. It had been headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, and was hijacked not far from its destination.
The U.S. Navy began monitoring the situation soon after the vessel was captured because of concerns about the dangers that the weapons on board could pose.
In a letter posted on the "Marine Bulletin" Web site, which is edited by Voitenko, Alperin said he, his representatives in various countries, and Ukrainian special services had been involved in "extremely tough" negotiations with the pirates.
"The release would've been impossible without the assistance from the Ukrainian government," Alperin wrote.
However, Alperin wrote, the government did not contribute to the ransom. "It rendered things that are much more valuable than money. It helped, thank God, with ... the knowledge, experience and talent of its intelligence officers,"
Voitenko said his information was confirmed by the MV Faina's owner, Vadim Alperin, who authorized him to make a statement.
The pirates seized the ship in neutral waters near Kenya and Somalia in September. It had been headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, and was hijacked not far from its destination.
The U.S. Navy began monitoring the situation soon after the vessel was captured because of concerns about the dangers that the weapons on board could pose.
In a letter posted on the "Marine Bulletin" Web site, which is edited by Voitenko, Alperin said he, his representatives in various countries, and Ukrainian special services had been involved in "extremely tough" negotiations with the pirates.
"The release would've been impossible without the assistance from the Ukrainian government," Alperin wrote.
However, Alperin wrote, the government did not contribute to the ransom. "It rendered things that are much more valuable than money. It helped, thank God, with ... the knowledge, experience and talent of its intelligence officers,"
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