Pirates said Thursday they had released the Ariana and its all-Ukrainian crew. But an official with All Oceans Shipping (based in Athens) says the ship is still in the hands of the pirates.
Spokesman Spyros Minas also dismissed the hijackers' claim that the company had paid a ransom for the ship's release.
The Ariana was seized May 2, about 460 kilometers northwest of the Seychelles islands.
The cargo ship, which sails under the Maltese flag, was traveling from Brazil to the Middle East when it was hijacked.
Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past two years, demanding and receiving millions of dollars in ransom from the hijacked ships' owners.
World powers, including the European Union, the United States and NATO, have dispatched naval forces to try to protect the busy shipping routes near Somalia from pirate attacks.
In response, the pirates have extended their reach, attacking ships up to 1,800 kilometers from Somalia, deep into the Indian Ocean.
