Somali pirates have released a Kenyan-owned freighter hijacked nearly two months ago after traditional elders intervened.
The release of MV Torgelow, hijacked 52 days ago in Harardheere, 300 kilmetres south of the capital Mogadishu, means at least six other vessels are still held by pirates in Somalia, according to a maritime official.
Piracy has become epidemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of Somalia, where at least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded since mid-March.
The ten crew on board the Torgelow, a Sri Lankan captain and nine Kenyan crew, were in good condition, officials said.
Last week, the Somali government signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with an American marine security firm Topcat in a bid to end piracy. But it was not clear how the cash-strapped government, hardly functioning because of a rift in its ranks, will pay the contract.
A Thai-owned ship laden with 14,000 tonnes of sugar, two Arab dhows and three Taiwanese fishing vessels are still held hostage by Somali pirates.
Somalia has been without a central government since 1991 when warlords ousted former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.