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The sailors held captive for years, and the man who managed to free them.

Somali pirates made millions of dollars hijacking ships and holding their crews hostage, if no ransom was paid though, sailors could spend years languishing in captivity.

When retired British Army Colonel John Steed set out to try to free what he called ‘Somalia’s forgotten hostages’ he had no money and no hostage-negotiation experience, so how did he do it?

Colin Freeman, who was himself taken hostage in Somalia, hears the remarkable stories of the sailors and their saviours.

Producer: Joe Kent
Sound: Rob Farquhar and Neil Churchill

(Image: Armed Somali pirate standing on the coast looking to sea. Credit: Mohamed Dahir/AFP/Getty Images)

Archive: Captain Phillips (Columbia Pictures) directed by Paul Greengrass