Somali pirates say they have freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, which had been held for nearly two months, after a $3m (€2.2m) ransom was paid.
The regional maritime group, East African Seafarers Assistance, confirmed the release.
The capture of the Sirius Star caused panic in international shipping circles and prompted tougher anti-piracy action.
The 330-metre Sirius Star, owned by the shipping arm of oil giant Saudi Aramco, was seized off the east African coast on 15 November.
'All our people have now left the Sirius Star. The ship is free, the crew is free,' said Mohamed Said, one of the leaders of the pirate group.
Pirates initially sought $25m (€18.6m) for its release but the latest reports indicate that the demand had been lowered to around $3.5m (€2.6m).
Payment of the ransom has not been confirmed.
The Sirius Star was manufactured in South Korea and delivered last year. It is believed to be worth around €112m, and its cargo was estimated at the time of the hijacking to be €74.5m.
The 25-member crew of the Sirius Star is made up people from Britain, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines and Poland, where the ship's captain hails from.
Pirates operating off Somalia's coast, in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, have carried out more than 130 attacks in 2008 alone, turning the region into the world's most dangerous waters.
The Gulf of Aden is a key maritime trade route, where thousands of ships bottle-neck into the Red Sea before heading to the Suez canal, linking Europe to Asia.
Following the Saudi tanker's hijacking, some companies decided to change their itineraries and send their ships on the longer but safer route around the southern tip of Africa, via the Cape of Good Hope.
Somali pirates still hold 16 vessels and more than 300 crew members.
Among them is the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying 33 battle tanks which was seized in September last year.
