Berlin  - Somali pirates have released a German-owned cargo ship, the MS Victoria, with the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin confirming on Saturday it was no longer detained.

The Victoria was seized as it was passing through the Gulf of Aden, 120 nautical miles north of Boosaaso, in May. It belongs to a German company, but its entire crew of 11 were Romanian, German diplomats said.

"I can confirm the ship is no longer in the hands of the pirates," a Foreign Ministry spokesman told the German Press Agency dpa.

But he rejected reports that a second German-owned ship, the Hansa Stavanger, seized in early April, had also been released.

"The crisis team is putting maximum effort into a solution," he said.

The Victoria, which was carrying 10,000 tons of rice from India to Saudi Arabia, is registered in Antigua.

There was no immediate information on whether its owners might have paid a ransom to obtain the release of the crew and ship. (dpa)