Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says the tuna boat Alakrana “is sailing toward safer waters. All of its crew members are safe and sound.”

He did not say if a ransom was paid for the boat's release Tuesday.

Self-proclaimed pirate Ali Gab had said in Somalia that the pirates were paid US$3.3 million in ransom before leaving the ship. He says a Spanish warship nearby watched the proceedings.

A Somali villager named Ali Ahmed Salad says 12 armed pirates who had been holding the ship the last six weeks left it shortly after noon Tuesday and joined colleagues near the town of Haradhere.

Ali Gab, a self-proclaimed pirate, says a boat delivered US$3.3 million in ransom. Gab says pirates began leaving the ship and he believes it is free.

Gab says a Spanish warship nearby watched the proceedings.

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU's anti-piracy force, says a Spanish warship has been in the region but he could not confirm that crew had been freed.