A Yemeni vessel hijacked by Somali pirates last week has been released without a ransom payment, sources tell Garowe Online.

But there were unconfirmed reports that a ransom was paid, but the report was denied by local officials.

The pirates were holding the vessel hostage near the coastal town of Eyl, in the self-governing region of Puntland.

Mr. Ahmed Omar Hamid, Yemen's ambassador to Somalia, has been in Puntland in recent days and traveled to the region with Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf.

Somalia's leader has said that one of the reasons he came to Puntland was to help release the hijacked ship, identified as Yemeni-owned MV Amani.

Pirates have hijacked more than 100 ships along the Somali coast this year and have reportedly collected upwards of US$50 million in ransom payments.