Story highlights The crew of the Aris 13 has been released, four days after being captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia

It is the first major hijacking by pirates in the area in five years.

(CNN) Eight Sri Lankan crew members of a fuel tanker hijacked off the coast of Somalia earlier this week have been released unharmed without a ransom payment, according to the Sri Lankan government.

It was the first major hijacking in the east African nation in almost five years, and had raised fears Somali pirates were back in action.

The Aris 13, a Comoros-flagged tanker belonging to a Greek company, was en route from the Somali capital Mogadishu to Djibouti, Somalia's northern neighbor, when it went missing off the coast near a town called Alula (Caluula).

The European Union Naval Force reported Wednesday that pirates had demanded an undisclosed ransom for the vessel's return.

But Sri Lankan officials stated Thursday that the boat and its eight crew members had been released without condition or payment.

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