The Hansa Stavanger, which was seized by Somali pirates some four months ago off the Horn of Africa, was escorted to Kenya by German navy frigate the Brandenburg.

The container vessel's 24 crew, including five Germans, are all said to be in sound health, though they were to undergo medical checks once they had reached land.

Prior to the ship's docking, an official for the local shipping agent, Inchcape, said the vessel had been "checked for live explosives, as one previous ship held by the pirates was found to have RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) on it."

Peter Benn, a spokesman for the European Union's Atalanta anti-piracy mission, told German news agency DPA that German federal police would board the ship upon its arrival at the Mombasa port. He added that the vessel would be treated as a crime scene.

"The company has asked that the crew be left alone as they have gone through a traumatic ordeal," Benn added.

The 20,000-ton Hansa Stavanger was released after the ship's owner, Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt and Blumberg, paid a 1.9-million-euro ($2.7 million) ransom to the pirates.

Leonhardt and Blumberg chief Frank Leonhardt said the crew would be flown to their homes "as quickly as possible."

Pirates off the Horn of Africa have conducted more than 100 attacks this year and are currently holding around a dozen vessels.

dfm/AP/dpa
Editor: Andreas Illmer