A successful rescue operation freed 22 hostages of a ship that was under control of Somali pirates for nearly three years.

The rescue raid safely recovered the hostages from the MV Iceberg 1 on Sunday by forces of the Puntland government after a siege that lasted nearly two weeks.

"After two years and nine months in captivity, the hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness. The hostages are now receiving nutrition and medical care," a statement by the Puntland government said, as reported by Reuters.

The Panama-flagged cargo ship was captured 10 miles off the coast of Aden, Yemen on March 29, 2010 and was taken to a dock near the Gara'ad coastal village in Mudung region.

The siege began on Dec. 10 and ended after almost two weeks when Puntland soldiers boarded the vessel and drove eight pirates from the ship. The pirates were allegedly able to escape.

The rescued crew members include eight Yemenis, five Indians, two Pakistanis, four Ghanaians, two Sudanese and a Filipino, Puntland Ports and Anti-piracy minister Saeed Mohamed Rage told The Associated Press. The ship originally had a crew of 24, but two had since died.

CBS News reports that the MV Iceberg 1 is the longest recorded ship held by Somali pirates, according to Alan Cole, the head of the U.N.'s anti-piracy program.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has decreased over the past few years with increased security measures practiced on ships moving in the heavily trafficked area.

Around 120 sailors are still held by pirates in the region who hold the crew and the hijacked ships hostage for large ransom payments.

The most expensive ransom payment occurred in 2011 for the Greek oil tanker MV Irene SL where the pirates received $11 million for the ship's safe return, according to NBC News.