Oslo - Somalian pirates Friday let free the Norwegian chemical tanker Bow Asir on Friday, two weeks after its capture off the coast of Kenya, the ship's owner said in Oslo. The Salhus Shipping company said all the crew members were unharmed. Besides the Norwegian captain, the crew consisted of Polish and Filipino nationals.

The vessel had been seized on March 26, some 900 kilometres off the Kenyan coast by some 16 to 18 machinegun-armed pirates.

The pirates claimed that the Norwegian shipping firm paid a ransom of 2.4 million dollars. (dpa)