The Greek super tanker Maran Centauros, carrying more than one million barrels of crude oil, was released by Somali pirates on January 18, Greek daily Ta Nea said.

The ship and its crew were freed a day after the pirates received the biggest ransom ever paid, reported by Greek media at between $5.5 million and seven million dollars. The money were dropped on the deck of the supertanker on January 17.

Maran Centauros, which travelled from Kuwait to the US with 28 crew members, was seized by Somali pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia on November 29 2009.

Its crew, consisting of nine Greek nationals, 16 Filipinos, two Ukrainians and one Romanian, are reportedly alive and well.

According to Ta Nea, the ransom drop-off caused shots being exchanged between the pirates on board and rival pirates, who had surrounded the super tanker in speedboats.

Threatening to set fire to the tanker unless they received a share of the money, the rival pirates tangled with their "colleagues" but were eventually dispersed from western navies patrolling the waters in the region who fired at the speedboats, ensuring that the package was dropped and delivered safely.

"We have agreed to solve our disagreements and release the ship. It is free and sailing away now," one of the pirates, Hassan, told Reuters by telephone. "The crew are all safe."

In November 2008, another oil tanker, the Sirius Star, ferrying more than two million barrels of oil, became the largest ship ever seized by pirates. According to world media, the vessel was released in January after a ransom of for $3 million.