Two South Koreans who were seized by Houthi rebels in waters off the coast of Yemen on Monday were released after some 45 hours.

The Foreign Ministry said 16 people on three vessels seized by the insurgent group earlier this week, including the two Koreans, were all released around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday Korea time.

The ministry said that the crew members and the vessels will depart Yemen at noon Wednesday and are scheduled to reach Saudi Arabia's Jizan port after two days.

The vessels were captured by Houthi rebels in waters off Yemen at around 3:50 a.m. Monday while en route to Somalia from Saudi Arabia. 

The South Korean firm Woongjin Development owns two of the vessels that were seized -- a tugboat and a drilling rig -- while the third vessel, another tugboat, is of Saudi Arabian ownership.

The rebels claimed that the ships violated their territorial waters but had said that they will release the captives and their vessels if their national origins are confirmed.

The South Korean government had deployed to the scene their anti-piracy Cheonghae unit, which was operating in the Gulf of Oman. Seoul also coordinated with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia regarding rescue efforts.