The captain and first officer from the 3,286-dwt C-Retriever (built 1999) were freed after an unspecified ransom was paid, the US state department confirmed on Tuesday.

The Edison Chouest Offshore men were seized on 23 October.

"We welcome the release of the two US citizens who were kidnapped from the Retriever," state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"For privacy reasons, we will not provide any additional information on the two individuals or the circumstances of their release.