Somali pirates have released a Belgian ship and 10 crew members who were hijacked in April, an international maritime body confirmed in Nairobi Monday.

A statement from Ecoterra International said the Pompei and its10-member crew were seized north of the archipelago republic of Seychelles on April 18.

The statement said the Dutch captain and the crew of two Belgians, three Filipinos and four Croats were in good health after being freed on Sunday.

"The stone carrier has been set free after the delivery of a ransom and her crew were released unharmed," Ecoterra International said in the statement.

The body also said that the release of the vessel has also been confirmed by the Belgium government. It was not publicly known if the shipping company paid a ransom or the conditions of the crew members.

The Belgian-flagged, small stone dredger is carrying 1,482 gross-tonnage when it was sea-jacked.

The development came as Somali gunmen continue to defy foreign navies patrolling the waters and have collected large ransoms from shipping companies.

Piracy has become rampant off the coast of Africa, especially in the waters near Somalia, which has been without an effective government since 1991. Ransoms started out in the tens of thousands of dollars and have since climbed into the millions.

An estimated 25,000 ships annually cruise the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's northern coast. Some 12 ships and 200 crew members are still held by Somali pirates.

The Gulf of Aden, off the northern coast of Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world. About 25,000 ships use the channel south of Yemen, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Source:Xinhua