Pirates release Ukrainian ship after four months

(CNN) - After holding it for four months, suspected Somali pirates released a Ukrainian ship Thursday carrying tanks, ammunition and crew after receiving a ransom of $3.2 million, a spokesman for the ship's owner said.

Mikhail Voitenko told CNN all the pirates had left the ship Thursday night, and a man who identified himself as a pirate who was involved in the hijacking also confirmed the pirates were no longer on the vessel.

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 seized not far from its destination.