Three Vietnamese sailors and their colleagues aboard the Taiwan-flagged ship Tai Yuan 227 have been released by Somali pirates and are now on their way home.

The seafarers are docking at a port in Sri Lanka , said Nguyen Xuan Tao, Deputy Head of the Labour Management Division of the Overseas Labour Management Department under the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.

Vu Dinh Tuan, an official of the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No. 1 (CIENCO No. 1) – the parent company of the International Manpower and Service Company (INMASCO), one of the two enterprises that sent sailors to the ship, also confirmed the information.

The ship’s owner had sent representatives to receive the vessel and make necessary procedures for the seamen to return home, Tuan added.

Tran Van Tri (from the central province of Nghe An), one of the three Vietnamese mariners, has already contacted his family, saying he is in good health. Two others are Nguyen Tien Anh from the central province of Ha Tinh and Truong Van Hieu from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum .

Tai Yuan 227 was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on May 6, 2010, with 28 sailors aboard from China , Vietnam , the Philippines , Kenya and Mozambique ./.