Manila  - Somali pirates have freed 22 Filipino crew members of a hijacked Greek-owned vessel after five months in captivity, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The department said the release of the MV Irene hostages brought down to 20 the number of Filipino sailors in the hands of Somali pirates.

The MV Irene was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on April 14.

The local hiring agency for the vessel confirmed the release of the Filipinos after successful negotiations and was working on their repatriation, the department said. (dpa)