The injured were members of the crew of 22 Syrians and two Egyptians of the 18,838-ton Syria Star that was boarded off the coast of Somalia.

Pirates held the boat for two days before escaping on the ship's life boats, a statement from the European Union Naval Force Somalia -- Operation Atalanta.

The ship's captain radioed for help after the pirates had left and EU NAVFOR frigate the FGS Schleswig-Holstein, of the German navy, was in the vicinity and sent a helicopter with a medical team on-board to assist the vessel.

The injuries were said to be non-life-threatening.

"It is always good to hear a hijacked ship is free and now EU NAVFOR will give the injured crew members the medical assistance they require," EU NAVFOR Force commander Swedish Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist said.

Pirates are holding at least 16 ships and hundreds of crew members, including a British couple seized from their yacht last October.

The task force's main work is to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia. It also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean against piracy and monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Earlier this month an EU NAVFOR ship stopped an attack on the Norwegian chemical tanker Bow Saga after the captain sent a distress call that it was under attack in the middle of the Gulf of Aden.

The Spanish frigate Victoria, which had its helicopters patrolling at the time, was at the ship within 10 minutes, EU NAVFOR said in a statement.

Warning shots were fired first from the helicopter and the Victoria, which captured the seven fleeing pirates in their skiff, along with a cache of weapons.

EU NAVFOR said the Bow Saga captain used "best practice techniques," including turning water cannon on the pirates as they tried to board the ship. The pirates shot out windows on the ship's bridge but no one was injured in the attack.

However, the pirates were returned to Somalia rather than held to face prosecution, a brief statement from EU NAVFOR said. "Due to the legal framework and time lines encompassing piracy and criminal activity at sea, the prosecution of the seven individuals in this specific case could not be initiated with confidence," the statement said.

The continuing problem of piracy off the northeast coast of Africa prompted the Chinese navy to agree last January to join the U.S.- and E.U.-led anti-piracy efforts.

"China has reached agreement with all other navies, including the EU, to conduct protection of individual ships," an unidentified Chinese defense ministry official told the state-run China Daily newspaper.

China's three naval ships deployed in and around the Gulf of Aden had previously protected only Chinese vessels, although had responded to distress calls from other ships. He said China would take its turn in the rotating chairmanship of the group known as Shared Awareness and Deconfliction.

In May representatives from 23 SHADE member countries, including China, the United States, Turkey and Russia, met in Bahrain to map out strategies.

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