An official at Somalia's foreign ministry said talks between the owners of the ship and the pirates were happening but no other side were involved. The pirates are demanding £11m in ransom for the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast.
The pirates say the ransom will free the ship's 21 crew members - one of whom has died of an apparent heart attack - as well as its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition. The US Navy has said it wants to keep the arms out of the hands of militants linked to al Qaeda in Somalia, said to be a key battleground in the war on terrorism. A spokesman for the pirates denied reports of a deadly shootout and added that the captors had been celebrating Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Sugule Ali said: "We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating. Nothing has changed. We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout. "We are still surrounded by foreign ships. There is 24-hour surveillance, helicopters are flying overhead, but no action has been taken against us." "We are prepared for any eventuality." Andrew Mwangura, from the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the naval ships were being asked to pull back in a bid to pave the way for negotiations. "The pirates are paranoid, the situation is very tense in the ship," he said. There have been 24 reported attacks by pirates in Somalia this year, bringing them tens of millions of pounds every year. US Defence Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said officials were working on securing the region's waterways.
The pirates say the ransom will free the ship's 21 crew members - one of whom has died of an apparent heart attack - as well as its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition. The US Navy has said it wants to keep the arms out of the hands of militants linked to al Qaeda in Somalia, said to be a key battleground in the war on terrorism. A spokesman for the pirates denied reports of a deadly shootout and added that the captors had been celebrating Eid al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Sugule Ali said: "We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating. Nothing has changed. We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout. "We are still surrounded by foreign ships. There is 24-hour surveillance, helicopters are flying overhead, but no action has been taken against us." "We are prepared for any eventuality." Andrew Mwangura, from the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said the naval ships were being asked to pull back in a bid to pave the way for negotiations. "The pirates are paranoid, the situation is very tense in the ship," he said. There have been 24 reported attacks by pirates in Somalia this year, bringing them tens of millions of pounds every year. US Defence Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said officials were working on securing the region's waterways.
Ransom Rallies Reckless Ruffians
September 29, 2008: Piracy has become big business in northern Somalia. Local Somali warlords have figured out that foreign warships are only a problem if they catch you actually attacking a merchant ship. That is unlikely. So over a thousand Somali gunmen have organized themselves into about a dozen different pirate groups. Most of them are going after the heavy traffic going in and out of the Red Sea, through the Gulf of Aden. It appears that some of the pirates, equipped with a satellite phone, join Somali fishing boats, and call in if they spot a merchant ship travelling slow enough for the speedboats to catch, and without a lot of lookouts. The pirates then speed to the scene, try to catch up with and board the target ship. In the last week, two ships have been taken. One was a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of over 2,000 tons of weapons (including 33 T-72 tanks) to Kenya. The pirates promptly demanded $35 million for the ship, then lowered that to $20 million. As foreign warships closed in, the pirates threatened to sink the Ukrainian ship if anyone tried to take their prize away.
September 28, 2008: After three weeks, pirates released an Egyptian ship. The size of the ransom was not mentioned. On the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, seized on the 25th with its cargo of weapons, one of the 21 crew died (from stress and high blood pressure).The Faina is being held at the port of Hobyo, which is halfway down the east coast of Somalia. Hobyo has long served as a base for pirates. more..http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080929.aspx
September 28, 2008: After three weeks, pirates released an Egyptian ship. The size of the ransom was not mentioned. On the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, seized on the 25th with its cargo of weapons, one of the 21 crew died (from stress and high blood pressure).The Faina is being held at the port of Hobyo, which is halfway down the east coast of Somalia. Hobyo has long served as a base for pirates. more..http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/somalia/articles/20080929.aspx
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