A group of 15 oil and gas workers - including nine Britons - have been freed after being taken captive on a vessel off Africa, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said.
The crew were held by authorities in Equatorial Guinea for about three weeks after being arrested at gunpoint for allegedly illegally straying in the country's waters.
An FCO spokeswoman said: "The group has been released. They left the hotel where they were being held at 9pm yesterday and are now back on their vessel."
She added: "The ship had strayed into Equatorial Guinea waters and the crew was arrested by the Equatorial Guinea Navy. There were nine Britons on board and 15 in total."
British consular officials were involved in negotiating the group's release, she said.
Father-of-two Chris Wood, 44, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, was one of the Britons held for three weeks in a hotel in Malabo, the country's capital.
His wife, Belinda, 41, said: "I got an email from my husband just before 10am (on Friday) to say they'd got back on board their vessel. They're going back into Nigerian waters. I can't stop smiling, it's such a relief. They were only supposed to be held for a few days so it was a bit worrying."
She continued: "They were transported directly from the boat by armed officers to Malabo. They were escorted to the hotel and were not allowed to leave. Chris said he had been treated well and was able to move within the hotel."
Mrs Wood said the crew also included a Belgian, South African, three Nigerians and three Ukrainians.
She said her husband, who works as a freelance survey engineer, was being employed by a firm based in Wiltshire. "They've still got the work to do that they went out there for and they're not due back until the end of March," Mrs Wood added.
