Pirates hijack tanker off Somali coast; standoff over Ukrainian ship continues
Published Saturday October 11th, 2008
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Pirates have hijacked what shipping officials describe as a massive tanker off the Somali coast.
Officials say the hijacked ship is a Greek vessel flying a Panamanian flag.
It was travelling from Southeast Asia to Europe when it was commandeered Friday.
The name of the vessel and other details were not disclosed.
The latest hijacking comes as tensions rise in the standoff involving the MV Faina, a Ukrainian arms ship hijacked by Somali pirates two weeks ago.
The Faina hijackers are threatening to destroy the vessel and kill themselves and the crew within days unless a ransom is paid.
Six U.S. warships are surrounding the Faina. Meanwhile, a Russian frigate was heading toward the scene, raising the stakes for a possible commando-style raid on the ship.
Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships this year off the Horn of Africa, but the hijacking of the Faina has drawn the most international concern because of its dangerous cargo - 33 tanks and other heavy weapons.
The threat by the pirates on the Faina was unusual. Pirates operating off Somalia rarely harm their hostages, instead holding out for a ransom that often exceeds $1 million.
"We held a consultative meeting for more than three hours today and decided to blow up the ship and its cargo - us included - if the ship owners did not meet our ransom demand," Sugule Ali said in an interview by satellite telephone on board the ship late Friday.
He gave the ship owners until Monday night to pay. Ali had said Thursday he was willing to negotiate the ransom demand of $20 million, after nearly two weeks of insisting they would never lower the price.
"Either we achieve our goal and get the ransom or perish along with the ship, its crew and cargo," Ali said.
There are 20 Ukrainian, Latvian and Russian crew members on board. The ship's Russian captain died of a heart condition soon after the hijacking nearly two weeks ago, officials in Moscow say.
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