Norwegian tanker MT Bow Asir was set free with its crew by Somali pirates on Friday after a ransom was paid, according to agencies' reports.
The chemical tanker was held since March 26 when it was under attack by pirates. Besides 27 crew members, it was also carrying chemical products when the incident took place.
The operator of the ship Salus Shipping was quoted as saying that all the crew were not wounded.
This development came as a number of foreign ships held by Somali pirates had headed towards the lifeboat with the captive U.S. captain held hostage by the pirates, but were forced to return by international warships patrolling Somali waters.
The ships forcibly sailed towards the besieged lifeboat to help the pirates holding the American captain of the Danish-owned ship hijacked shortly this week off the high seas.
"They (the pirates on the hijacked foreign ships) wanted to help their colleagues escape from the foreign warships that surround them but they were forced to return before they reached the lifeboat," Ali Sugule, a pirate commander told Xinhua on Friday from Harardhere, pirate stronghold in northeast Somalia.
Pirates hijacked U.S. cargo ship Maersk Alabama on early Wednesday about 560 kilometers off the coast of Somalia -- the first of its kind to involve an American crew.
Somali pirates have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks after a brief lull. The Maersk Alabama was the sixth ship to have been seized since Saturday.
Source: Xinhua
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