Copenhagen - A Danish freighter and its crew of 13 were Friday freed after being held for 68 days by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

An undisclosed ransom secured the release of the CEC Future, Per Gullestrup, head of the Clipper Elite Carrier shipping company, told Danish news agency Ritzau.

The vessel was seized on November 8 in the Gulf of Aden. It was on Friday heading to Oman under escort by a Russian warship. The crew were mainly Russian nationals.

Gullestrup said the ransom was placed in a container that was parachuted from a small plane to a spot identified by the pirates.

After picking up the ransom, the pirates counted the sum on the vessel.

The pirates collected the money earlier this week but nine of the two dozen pirates did not leave the vessel until overnight Friday.

Although Gullestrup did not disclose the sum, reports have suggested that the "going rate" for the release of a ship ranges between 1 and 2 million dollars.

A Danish naval vessel has for some months been deployed in the waters off Somalia to assist international efforts to protect shipping lanes threatened by pirates. (dpa)