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Ukrainian sailors from the Ariana ship are expected to return to Ukraine by January 6 Mykola Malomuzh, chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine expects Ukrainian sailors from the Ariana ship, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in early May and freed on a ransom, to return to Ukraine January 6, reads a statement made by the presidential press service.

According to the statement, seven freed sailors from the Delvina vessel arrived in State International Airport Boryspil (Kyiv region) from London (Britain) on Thursday.

On order by President Victor Yushchenko Malomuzh and Mykola Tochytskyi, the head of the Presidential Secretariat's main department for foreign policy, were meeting the sailors in the airport.

Malomuzh thanked the seamen for courage they showed while being in captivity.

The ship's captain Volodymyr Zakarian on behalf of the Ukrainian part of the crew expressed much gratitude to the president, all agencies and departments participating in the release of the sailors from captivity.

The seamen inquired about the fate of their colleagues from the Ariana ship.

According to Malomuzh, probably, the sailors from the Ariana ship will be met in Ukraine already in five days.

The ministry of foreign affairs of Ukraine says that on January 2 Ariana under convoy of a frigate from the international naval forces was heading for the port of Salala, Oman.

Hennadii Voronov, the captain of the ship, reported to the foreign ministry that physical and psychological state of the crewmembers was normal, the vessel had enough stock of fuel.

Under favourable conditions Ariana is expected to reach the Salala port on January 3.

Alloceans Shipping Co Ltd, the ship's operator, says a new crew for the ship is already formed to replace the members of the current team and ready to fly to Oman in any time soon.

The foreign ministry also says that Ukrainian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Petro Kolos is to arrive in Oman in the night of January 2/3 to promptly decide on organisational issues of arrival of the vessel to Salala and on meeting of the Ukrainian sailors.

Member of the Arian crew area planned to return to Ukraine by a special Ukrainian aircraft after passing the required formal procedures, medical examination and handover of the ship to the new crew.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the foreign ministry on December 28 agreed on engagement of the United States Navy frigate De Wert (FFG-45) in providing security of the Ariana ship.

On December 17, pirates released Delvinа ship with the crew including seven Ukrainian sailors.

On December 10, President Viktor Yuschenko announced that Somali pirates freed 24 Ukrainian crewmembers of the Ariana ship after receiving a ransom.