The six crew members of the Marathon, a ship seized by Somali pirates on June 23, arrived at Odesa International Airport on Friday night, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service reported.

The sailors were met by their relatives and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's representatives in Odesa. They will be sent home (the town of Izmail) by bus.

Heorhiy Husakov, the remaining Ukrainian crew member, is expected to return home on July 4, the Foreign Ministry said referring to the information of the ship owner. As reported, Husakov was injured when the vessel was captured.

The body of the ship's welder, Serhiy Vartenkov, who was killed during the seizure of the vessel, will be brought within several days after the post-mortem examination will establish the cause of death, the Foreign Ministry said.

As reported, Somali pirates seized the Marathon, with a crew of eight Ukrainians on board, on May 7. The ship's welder, Serhiy Vartenkov, was killed during the seizure of the vessel, while cook Heorhiy Husakov was injured. The crew kept this information secret during talks with their families and the ship's owner on the orders of the pirates. The pirates released the ship on June 23.