Mogadishu — A Philippines' special envoy to the Middle East says that ransom was likely paid for the release of the 20 Filipino sailors abducted by pirates in Somalia.

The Philippines' special envoy to the Middle East, Roy Cimatu, said this on Monday.

"Somalia is a pirate-infested area and all shipping companies are known to pay," Cimatu told a press briefing.

The Filipinos were freed recently after nearly four months of captivity, the department of foreign affairs (DFA) said in an earlier statement.

The sailors are in international waters now, heading for Fujairah in United Arab Emirates, foreign affairs spokesperson Gilberto Asuque said.

Meanwhile, Philippine ambassador to UAE Libran Cabactulan said the principal negotiator, Manoj Sabharwal of Akron Trade and Transport Company, the shipping company of the Filipino sailors, said the crew members are all safe.

"No one required any medical attention," Cabactulan said in a report to the DFA, adding that it will take at least eight days before the sailors reach Fujairah.

The Filipinos kidnapped on 29 March were released on Saturday at 16:20 Somali time. Somali pirates seized them after their oil tanker, the United Arab Emirates registered MT Lin 1 offloaded its cargo at a southern Somali port.

Piracy in Somalia rose sharply last year, with the number of reported incidents at 35, compared with two in 2004, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

The DFA reiterated its warning to Philippine-registered ships and Filipino sailors not to enter Somali waters or trade with Somali ports in view of the security situation.