Rome - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini denied Monday that a ransom was paid to Somali pirates who freed the crew of an Italian ship that had been held hostage in the Gulf of Aden since April.

The release on Sunday came about in the most "simple" way possible, Frattini said in a television interview.

"The pirates simply retreated," he said.

Reports citing the pirates said that that 4 million dollars were paid to secure the freedom of the Buccaneer cargo ship's crew of 16, consisting of 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian.

The owners of the Buccaneer, Ravenna-based Micoperi Marine Contractors, said on Sunday the ship was not freed as a result of military action or ransom payment.

Frattini on Monday said Somali Prim Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke had personally intervened in negotiations to win the crew's release.

The Somali premier had "evidently" been encouraged to do so by Italy's continuing pledge to supply humanitarian aid and to train the Horn of Africa nation's police and coast guard, Frattini said.

The Buccaneer was hijacked on April 11 in the Gulf of Aden along with two barges. On Monday it was being escorted by Italian naval vessels to the port of Djibouti.

Crew members contacted by the ANSA news agency said they expected to return to Italy in the next few days.