Manila - Somali pirates have freed a chemical tanker it seized two months ago and all 19 crewmen, including 15 Filipinos, a Philippine government official said on Thursday.
The Japanese-operated, Panama-flagged MT Irene was released late on Wednesday, and was en route to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos told reporters.
The vessel was hijacked on August 21 in the Gulf of Aden.
The foreign department "is now co-ordinating with the shipowner for the repatriation of the Filipino seamen," he said, adding that all appeared to be "safe and sound" despite their harrowing ordeal.
More than 60 other Filipino sailors aboard at least five other foreign vessels remain in the hands of Somali pirates. The vessels were seized in separate hijacking incidents off the Gulf of Aden since July.
The Philippines supplies a third of the world's shipping manpower, with about 270 000 Filipino seaman employed by foreign maritime agencies.