Pirates seize 30 Russian T-72 Tanks

Officerpuppy · Oct 26, 2008

<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27390087/page/2/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27390087/page/2/</a>

Modern day privateers? Not quite....but it does sound interesting that ships are considering hiring PMC's.

Thagarr · Oct 28, 2008

Officerpuppy, the way the American economy is going, that might be one of the few jobs available before long! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> I posted a story about it in my Pirate News thread a while back.

The Neustrashimy has finally arrived in Somali waters.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Russian frigate begins anti-piracy patrols off Somalia coast</b>
28/ 10/ 2008

MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) - A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet has started patrolling waters in the Gulf of Aden to protect Russian ships and crews from pirate attacks, a Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate arrived at the port of Aden on Sunday to replenish food and water supplies after a trip from the Mediterranean. On Monday it entered waters off the Somali coast where local pirates have sharply increased hijackings of ships for ransom.

"The Neustrashimy missile frigate has assumed patrol duty to protect Russian shipping," Capt 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

Somali pirates have seized around 60 ships so far this year off the coast of the east African nation, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline.

At the beginning of June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution permitting countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters to combat "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."

"In order to ensure safety of Russian ships the Neustrashimy will use all means and measures sanctioned by the UN Security Council," Dygalo said.

He also said the Russian warship may join, if necessary, an international naval group fighting piracy in the region.

U.S. warships from the 5th Fleet are currently surrounding a Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, that was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The Faina, which was carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, has a crew of 17 Ukrainian nationals, two Russians, and one Lithuanian on board.

The Faina's Russian captain died of a heart attack after the vessel was seized. The pirates holding the ship have demanded an $8 million ransom, and have threatened to kill the hostages if a military operation is launched against them.

NATO and the EU have announced plans to increase by the end of the year their naval presence in the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world's busiest and most dangerous shipping lanes with about 20,000 ships passing through the area annually.</div>

Original story here :
<a href="http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081028/117981774.html" target="_blank">http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081028/117981774.html</a>

There hasn't been a whole lot of news lately, I think they are trying to keep the negotiations that are going on as confidential as possible. This is the latest I could find.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Somali pirate says Ship operator wants only ship, crew

21 hours ago

NAIROBI, Kenya â€” A spokesman for Somali pirates holding an arms-laden Ukrainian ship says the vessel's operator wants to negotiate only for the release of the MV Faina and its crew, and not its cargo.

Sugule Ali says the head of Tomex Team sent the pirates a fax saying the Kenyan government has declined to pay any ransom.

Kenya has claimed the 33 tanks and other heavy weapons on the ship.

Ali says the pirates received the letter Friday.

He said Monday Tomex Team's Viktor Murenko said in his letter that the pirates are at, "liberty to destroy or throw the weapons to the sea if they deemed that fit."

Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula says Tomex Team is responsible for the cargo until it is delivered.

He says Kenya will not pay any ransom.</div>

Original story here :
<a href="http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gcWnOif4Uzh6jzDvU5GazG2qX9bw" target="_blank">http://canadianpress.google.com/article/AL...zDvU5GazG2qX9bw</a>

Thagarr · Nov 6, 2008

Not much new to report on this here lot. Most of the action is apparently still going on behind the scenes. They did recently get fresh supplies of food and water though.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>

Talks of Faina ship owner and pirates going on - press release of the ship owner</b>

06.11.2008, 10.57

MOSCOW, November 6 (Itar-Tass) -- Talks between the owner of the Faina vessel and the pirates are effectively going on, and there are reasons to believe that they will be completed within a few days, says a press release of the ship owner, published by the Morskoy Bulletin-Sovfracht journal on Thursday.

â€œThere is only one thing that may hamper the talks: another attempt of one of the parties to interfere, to establish personal contacts with the pirates or with those whom the party regards as their leaders, and to offer anything to them once again. I do hope nothing like that will take place. The crew are in good health, they have enough food and water,â€ the Faina ship owner reported.

According to Mikhail Voitenko, editor-in-chief of the Morskoy Bulletin- Sovfracht, â€œthe reports, circulated recently by many mass media organs, mentioned the deliveries of food and water to the Faina. Judging by the reports, food and water appeared on board the Faina on their own, or through the efforts of those who issued the press releases.â€ â€œThe financial aspect of water and food deliveries to the Faina was handled by the ship owner, and the technical aspects â€“ by the Ukrainian security services. On the whole, it was a difficult operation,â€ he said.

According to Voitenko, the dead body of the Faina skipper, who died recently, is still on board the ship, but they hope it will soon be taken to his home country. â€œThe ship owner contacted the U.S. military, who are blocking the Faina, and they said the dead body of the skipper was kept in a freezing chamber. The pirates are very much afraid to turn it over to any of the officers, for fear that the ship will be assaulted,â€ he continued.

The Faina vessel was captured by Somalian pirates on September 25. It has on board 33 T-72 tanks and other armaments, which are intended, according to various versions, for Kenya or South Sudan. The crew is made up of 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and a Latvian national. Another Russian â€“ skipper Vladimir Kolobkov â€“ died of a heart attack soon after the capture of the Faina by the pirates.

Nina Karpacheva, human rights commissioner of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine, said at a briefing recently that the Faina was owned by Vadim Alperin, an Israeli national. According to her information, she does not maintain contacts with him.

Vadim Alperin is a businessman from Odessa. He was a deputy to the Odessa City Council from the Party of Regions.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13244587&PageNum=0" target="_blank">http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?N...7&PageNum=0</a>

Thagarr · Nov 14, 2008

I haven't been able to dig up a lot about this bunch of pirates lately, seems everything is at a standstill. I am wondering just how long they are going to keep resupplying these thugs.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>November 12, 2008, 15:41
Captured sailors run out of food and water
The 21 crew members aboard the Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia in September, have sent a letter to Kiev saying they have run out of food, water and fuel.

Mikael Voitenko, editor of the 'Sofrakhta' journal, which is closely monitoring the story, said he received a letter on Tuesday saying the ship was out of vital supplies.

"We been here for 47 days now. Water, food and fuel have run out." the letter read.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine claimed that it recently replenished stocks on board the vessel. However, this latest letter seems to suggest the contrary.

The Ukrainian ship was reportedly bound for Kenya when it was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia on 25 September. The ship was transporting thirty-three T-52 tanks as well as other arms.

The pirates have said that they will kill the hostages if any attempt is made to liberate them.

The crew is made up of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Latvian.</div>

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/33174" target="_blank">http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/33174</a>

Also found this editorial which hilights the fact that these pirates made a serious mistake capturing the Faina.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates made a big mistake in hijacking the Faina</b>
Rob Crilly

Pirates have ruled Somaliaâ€™s waves for much of the past 15 years. Unmolested by any sort of functioning government on land or navy at sea, they have been free to pick off freighters from one of the worldâ€™s busiest shipping lanes.

But that has begun to change in the past couple of months.

The piratesâ€™ big mistake was to hijack the Faina, a Ukrainian vessel crammed with Russian-made tanks, armaments and ammunition.

Before that, the world had been content to leave Somalia languishing in anarchy, at the mercy of warlords, insurgents and gangsters. Everyone knows where the pirate lairs are â€” places such as Hobiyo and Eyl in the northern region of Puntland â€” and the GPS co-ordinates of their booty.

But after the Faina was taken two taskforces â€” from Nato and the EU â€” have sailed for the Gulf of Aden along with an assortment of warships from other nations. It was the thought of heavy weaponry falling into the hands of the countryâ€™s Islamists â€” some with links to al-Qaeda â€” at one of the countryâ€™s arms bazaars that provoked an international military response.

This response is welcome but it may not be enough to eradicate the problem. Unless the lawlessness in Somalia is sorted out there will always be young men with guns ready to try their luck at sea. For now the navies are content to patrol shipping lanes, offering protection from every gang of opportunists armed with AK47s and rocket-propelled grenades.

International warships have another vital function: escorting much-needed food deliveries into Mogadishuâ€™s port. From that cityâ€™s pockmarked villas and dangerous streets, foreign vessels are viewed as legitimate targets whether they contain aid, arms or anything else. In September The Times watched an aid ship slip into harbour under the watchful guns of a Canadian frigate â€” it is the only safe way to get food into a starving country.

The situation in Somalia is a catastrophe. Gunboat charity is no remedy for piracy.</div>

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5141785.ece" target="_blank">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle5141785.ece</a>

Thagarr · Nov 25, 2008

The price of Russian era tanks, and Ukrainian lives keeps dropping.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Pirates lower ransom for arms-laden Ukrainian ship</b>

Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian ship seized exactly two months ago with a cargo of combat tanks and other weaponry said on Tuesday they had lowered their ransom demand to US$3 million (HK$23.4 million).

''We are demanding three million dollars to release the MV Faina,'' said Sugule Ali, the spokesman of the group of pirates that hijacked the ship on September 25.

''We are running out of time, waiting for an outcome to these protracted negotiations. The owners should immediately take this opportunity to recover their property,'' said Ali, reached by phone on the MV Faina.

The Ukrainian ship - headed for Kenya when it was seized - was carrying 33 Soviet-type battle tanks, anti-air systems, rocket launchers and ammunition.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE</div>
Original story here:
<a href="http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=10129&icid=4&d_str=20081125" target="_blank">http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_new...;d_str=20081125</a>

Thagarr · Dec 1, 2008

Looks like this here stand off is finally over. Who ever said crime doesn't pay? I'm sure glad no one violated these pirates human rights ...that would have been a real tragedy! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :rolleyes:

" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" />
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>
Pirates 'to release Ukraine ship'</b>

Somali pirates holding a ship full of military hardware have reached a deal with its Ukrainian owners to let it go, reports say.

Gunmen seized the Kenya-bound MV Faina, carrying 33 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition, on 24 September.

A pirate spokesman said releasing the ship was "a matter of time" but gave no details of a ransom payment.

A spokesman for the ship's Ukrainian owner reportedly said the release could happen within a week.

Attacks by Somali pirates have escalated sharply in recent months, causing international concern.

Last month they seized a Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star, carrying oil worth more than $100m (Â£65m). Negotiations are currently under way for the release of the vessel and its 25-man crew.

The MV Faina, currently anchored off the pirate hub of Harardhere, has a mostly Ukrainian crew of 21. Pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $20m.

"It is just a matter of time and a few technicalities before the ship recovers its freedom," French news agency AFP quoted Sugule Ali speaking on behalf of the pirates.

"I can't tell you what the ransom is but what can I say is that an agreement has finally been reached," he added.

Mikhail Voitenko, said to be a spokesman for ship owner Vadim Alperin, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying: "The owner has confirmed there is every reason to hope that it will be released in the coming week."

A Kenyan maritime official confirmed the deal and said the two sides were now "discussing the modalities of releasing the ship, crew and cargo".</div>
Rest od the story here :
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7757259.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7757259.stm</a>

Thagarr · Dec 5, 2008

Still waiting...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Day 71 - FAINA Crisis</b>
Friday, December 05, 2008 09:40:53 AM

DAY 71 - 1684 hours into the FAINA crisis. - UPDATE SUMMARY:

Efforts for a peaceful release continued, but the now over two months long stand-off concerning Ukrainian MV FAINA is not yet solved finally, though intensive negotiations have continued and local reports state that the financial agreement part has been concluded.

A U.S. destroyer tracking a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks has backed off and ransom talks look to be nearing a conclusion, a Somali official said on Thursday. Aweys Ali Said, chairman of Somalia's Galkayo town, said negotiations to free both ships were going well. "The pirates have regained hope of getting a ransom (for the Faina). Ukrainian and Somali men from abroad are involved in the bargaining," he told Reuters by telephone.

"I'm sure America is also playing a role because the warship has moved some kms (miles) further away." The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer and other vessels to track the Faina after it was seized by Somali gunmen in September. Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, a spokesmen for the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, said several U.S. vessels remained within sight of the cargo ship -- which is carrying 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and other heavy weapons.

TIME magazine was told this week by a man named Ahmed Gel-Qonaf, 29, who claimed to be among the pirates aboard the Faina that one reason the negotiations have taken more than 10 weeks, Gel-Qonaf said, is the large number of people involved who expect to get a cut from any hijacking, ranging from pirate commanders to leaders of the embattled U.S.-backed transitional government of Somalia as well as its nemesis, the Islamist Shabab militia.

Lowest in the pecking order, it seems, are the gunmen who actually captured the ships. What he forgot to mention was the amount of money those get who work on these cases from the outside - while hardly any support comes forward to assist the captured seafarers during and after the nightmare, those who negotiate, handle and deliver the ransom earn themselves often more than the actual payment to the pirates, surely there are expenses, but there also also golden income generation possibilities created by the acts of piracy.</div>
Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20081204194053" target="_blank">http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?n...=20081204194053</a>

Thagarr · Dec 6, 2008

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Ransom vessel 'en route to pirate-held Ukrainian ship'</b>
05/ 12/ 2008

MOSCOW, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - A vessel is believed to be heading for Ukraine's Faina cargo ship to deliver a ransom payment to Somali pirates who seized the ship off the Horn of Africa in September, a Russian shipping news website said on Friday.

Mikhail Boytenko, editor of the Sovfracht maritime bulletin, said that according to various sources, including one in Kenya, "A vessel is approaching the Faina to pay the ransom."

"The U.S. military has moved away from the Faina, to create a corridor for the ransom to be delivered, and to guarantee the pirates safe exit from the ship," he said.

"I cannot confirm or deny this information," he added. "Late yesterday evening I spoke to the ship's owner, and he said that talks had been concluded, but that certain details on the delivery of the ransom payment had to be cleared up."

No details on who was paying the ransom, or the sum involved, were given.

The Faina, carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The pirates initially demanded a $35 million ransom, but this has since been lowered to $3 million.

The crew is made up of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian. The Russian captain of the Faina, Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack after the vessel was seized, and his body is still on board.

The pirates said nearly four weeks ago that supplies of fresh water and food on board the vessel were already running low.

A spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet previously claimed that the intended destination for the weapons was southern Sudan's rebel region, and not Kenya as had been announced.

Both the Ukrainian and Kenyan authorities have denied the allegation.

Somali pirates have attacked around 90 ships so far this year, resulting in the seizure of around 39 vessels, including 200 crew members. The east African nation has been without a functioning government since 1991.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his quarterly report to the UN Security Council in November that pirates had earned up to $30 million in ransoms this year. The Security Council has also adopted a British-proposed resolution on tougher sanctions against Somalia over the country's failure to prevent a surge in sea piracy.

NATO and the EU are to launch on December 8 a joint naval operation, dubbed Atalanta, against piracy near the coast of Somalia. The operation could involve up to 10 warships.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20081205/118717696.html" target="_blank">http://en.rian.ru/world/20081205/118717696.html</a>

Thagarr · Dec 10, 2008

Apparently this here Ukrainian crew be getting a bit tired of waiting for all that political red tape!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Pirates 'put down hostage revolt'</b>
Written By:BBC , Posted: Wed, Dec 10, 2008

Somali pirates say they have thwarted an apparent revolt by the crew of a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship, according to reports.

An unnamed pirate told the AFP news agency that sailors of the MV Faina tried to "harm" two of their captors.

The ship is carrying 33 tanks and other weaponry and was seized by pirates two and half months ago.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman said they had not received any information of the incident.

He claimed that two of the pirates were taken by surprise when a group of crew members attacked them.

Another report of the incident, by Russian Ren TV, quoted one of the pirates as saying that the crew responsible would be "seriously punished".

Gunmen seized the Kenya-bound MV Faina, carrying 33 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition, on 24 September.

The ship, which is currently anchored off the pirate stronghold of Harardhere, has a mostly Ukrainian crew of 21.

Pirates had initially demanded a ransom of $20m (Â£13.5m).

In November, a Kenyan maritime official confirmed that a deal had been struck between the ship's owner and the pirates, and that the two sides were discussing the ship's release.

Details of the agreement have not been revealed.

Meanwhile, the British commander in charge of the EU's anti-piracy mission says the force will station armed guards on vulnerable cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden.

Rear Admiral Phillip Jones says his priority is to ensure safe passage for ships transporting food aid to Somalia.

The EU force - which includes four ships and two maritime reconnaissance aircraft - will take over from Nato ships on Monday.

Rear Adm Jones said the task facing the mission was enormous.

"I'd be the first to admit that a naval force itself cannot eradicate piracy... but we can still make a significant contribution to combating piracy," he said.

The task force - codenamed operation Atalanta and working under a UN mandate - is not allowed to board seized ships or to free crews held hostage.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=54402" target="_blank">http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=54402</a>

Fred Bob · Dec 10, 2008

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The task force - codenamed operation Atalanta and working under a UN mandate - <i><b>is not allowed to board seized ships or to free crews held hostage</b></i>.</div>

<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :facepalm

" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" /> What be de point, Fred Bob be askin'!? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :facepalm

" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

Thagarr · Dec 11, 2008

They also have to ask suspected pirates if they are indeed pirates... we wouldn't want anyone's civil rights violated now would we Fred Bob?? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :rolleyes:

" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> The U.N. is nothing but a big waste of valuable New York real estate!

Update on the so called hostage revolt :
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates invented story of attack by Faina crew - analyst</b>

KIEV, December 9 (RIA Novosti) - Reports that the crew of a Ukrainian ship held by Somali pirates attacked two of their abductors were fabricated by the pirates, the chief editor of a maritime publication said Tuesday.

AFP reported earlier Tuesday that the pirates said the crew of the Faina attacked two of their captors Monday night.

"In reality, the following happened: Yesterday evening, two pirates who headed for the shore on a boat were seized and detained by the Americans. The pirates called intermediaries and the ship owner and asked them to speak to the Americans to ask for the release of their seized accomplices, but were told it is impossible," Mikhail Voitenko from Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin said.

"So the pirates launched the canard about a mutiny. Something like a threat," Voitenko told Ukraine's Unian news agency, citing the Faina's owner.

Ukrainian cargo ship the Faina, carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The pirates initially demanded a $35 million ransom, but recent information suggests the figure has fallen to $3.5 million.

The crew consists of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian. The Russian captain of the Faina, Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack after the vessel was seized, and his body is still on board.

Somali pirates have attacked around 90 ships so far this year, resulting in the seizure of around 39 vessels, including 200 crew members.

The navies of at least 10 countries are involved in anti-piracy operations off the coast of the East African nation, which has been without a functioning government since 1991.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20081209/118773021.html" target="_blank">http://en.rian.ru/world/20081209/118773021.html</a>

Fred Bob · Dec 11, 2008

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>"In reality, the following happened: Yesterday evening, <b>two pirates who headed for the shore on a boat were seized and detained by the Americans</b>. The pirates called intermediaries and the ship owner and asked them to speak to the Americans to ask for the release of their seized accomplices, but were told it is impossible," Mikhail Voitenko from Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin said.</div>

Harr! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> Let's ransom them scurvy pyrates back, Thagarr! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pirate3.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

2" border="0" alt="pirate3.gif" />

Meigger · Dec 11, 2008

Good idea Fred Bob. However, they probably would not be worth much.

Thagarr · Dec 12, 2008

Damn ....Meigger is probably right Fred Bob, but it was a good idea! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/me.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :onya

" border="0" alt="me.gif" /> Although ...we might be able to work out a deal for some goat meat spaghetti! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

The Neustrashimy sure has been a big disappointment for me, I really thought they would do something more than just a few escort missions. I was expecting at least a few fireworks! She has only been there a little over a month and she is set to depart early next year.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>
Somali pirates 'to release Ukrainian vessel in next two weeks'</b>
15:16 | 11/ 12/ 2008

KIEV, December 11 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian ship Faina, captured by Somali pirates in September, may be released in the next two weeks according to a Russian website devoted to maritime issues.

"Agreement has basically been reached, there are just some details that have to be ironed out," said the Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin, adding that it expected the ship and its crew to be freed in "the next two weeks or so."

The Faina, carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The pirates initially demanded a $35 million ransom, but recent information suggests the figure has fallen to $3.5 million.

The crew is made up of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian.

In response to the rise in pirate attacks in the region, the EU launched on Monday a joint task force, codenamed operation Atalanta, which involves eight countries, aimed at tackling piracy in the waters near the Gulf of Aden.

Russia dispatched a naval vessel, the Neustrashimy (Fearless), to escort commercial vessels in the region in October following the surge in seizures.

<b>The Neustrashimy will conclude its escort duties at the end of the year when it when it will be replaced by the Pacific Fleet's destroyer, the Admiral Vinogradov, which left a naval base near Vladivostok on Tuesday on course for the Indian Ocean.</b>

The east African nation has been without a functioning government since 1991 and has no navy to police its coastline.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://en.rian.ru/world/20081211/118807458.html" target="_blank">http://en.rian.ru/world/20081211/118807458.html</a>

Fred Bob · Dec 12, 2008

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The east African nation has been without a functioning government since 1991 and has no navy to police its coastline.</div>
Fred Bob ain't a buyin' dat! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/no.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :no

" border="0" alt="no.gif" /> Samolia has dem a navy all right! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :yes

" border="0" alt="yes.gif" /> They jus' be hijackin' ships left an' right! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> Cain't folks see dat?! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mybad.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :facepalm

" border="0" alt="mybad.gif" />

Thagarr · Dec 24, 2008

Some people refuse to see the obvious Fred Bob.

It seems this here American lady be frustrating the Faina's owner...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Fainaâ€™s owner asks US ambassador to prevent American mediator from interfering in negotiations with pirates
22.12.08 19:28

Ukraine, Kiev, Dec. 22 /Trend News, Z.Novosvitski/ Waterlux AG - owner of the Faina ship that was seized by pirates asks U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor to immediately cease interference by American citizen Michele Lynn Ballarin in negotiations with pirates, says ownerâ€™s open letter to the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, transmitted to the UNIAN agency by a representative of the Faina owner captain Pavel Dragaev.

The owner of the ship said that motor ship with Ukrainian crew and cargo has been for almost 90 days kept captive at Somalia coast. Long and sometimes arduous negotiations with the sea robbers have been underway all that time. Members of the ship's crew have been under strict psychological oppression, and their mothers, wives and children - in the weary and worrisome anticipation.

â€œConvincing arguments and justifications were presented to the pirates several weeks ago and we persuaded criminals to take real amounts of ransom. Negotiations have passed to a final phase, and uneasy work has begun to define acceptable ways and conditions for the release of the vessel and crew,â€ noted the owner.

According to the ship-owner, at this stage U.S. citizen Michele Lynn Ballarin interfered in the negotiations â€œwithout any notification, without orders and powers. Using the links with the leaders of Somali clans, Mrs. Ballarin cynically and hard started and is still trying to switch the negotiations on herselfâ€.

â€œOffering fantastic, not proved by anyone or anything amount of ransom, claiming the existence of some powers from the Ukrainian authorities, as well as from the U.S. Navy, of which Waterlux AG is unaware, Ballarin has reached a main, unfortunately, negative result - a real negotiation process has been again suspended, the suffering of sailors and their families again continue, and their chances to meet the New Year and Christmas in the warmth of a home are rapidly declining,â€ the letter says.

â€œWe donâ€™t want and donâ€™t require explanations and motives of Ballarinâ€™s dirty deeds, according to the ship-owner. Presently, the most important thing for us and all who render assistance in release of sailors and Faina vessel is to put an immediate and actual end to interference of this lady in the talks with pirates and to inform the latter about this decision.â€

This task can be fulfilled only under Taylorâ€™s assistance, ship-owner said.

â€œWe are convinced that you, as a supreme U.S official in Ukraine, wonâ€™t be indifferent to Ukrainian sailors, but reactive actions for the above mentioned interference will lead to rapid and successful release of hostages,â€ the owner of Faina said.</div>
Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://news-en.trend.az/politics/foreign/1378467.html" target="_blank">http://news-en.trend.az/politics/foreign/1378467.html</a>

Thagarr · Jan 10, 2009

I haven't been able to find a whole lot of news for the past couple of weeks, everything seems to be at a real stalemate!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Relatives of crew on hijacked ship ask for help</b>

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) â€” Relatives of crew members aboard a Ukrainian cargo ship that was hijacked off Somalia are appealing to international humanitarian groups for assistance.

They say that neither government authorities nor the owner of the MV Faina are giving them any information about negotiations with the captors and the health of the 20-member crew.

The crew has been held captive for more than three months after the ship loaded by 33 battle tanks was seized by pirates off the Somali coast in late September.

Pirates and Ukrainian authorities both said in December that a deal had been reached and that the seamen would be released soon. But there has been no sign of progress since then. The pirates had originally demanded $20 million when they hijacked the Faina.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jYKC2TqU-juqmSe67nWjsak0EjQgD95JMOC80" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...k0EjQgD95JMOC80</a>

Thagarr · Jan 15, 2009

Well, it seems we finally know the delay that has been holding things up ...never use a middleman!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Pirates holding a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks have sacked Somali middlemen trying to secure its release and are negotiating directly with the owners, an associate of the gang said on Thursday.

Gunmen from Somalia caused havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes last year, hijacking dozens of ships and demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments to free them.

The MV Faina was carrying 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and other weapons when it was seized in September. The pirates initially demanded a $20 million ransom, lowered to $5 million.

Osman Farah, an onshore associate of the gang on the Faina, said his colleagues now expected more than $5 million after they sacked the middlemen negotiating on their behalf.

"Somali brokers had been delaying the process by reporting only half, or less, of the ransom being offered," Farah told Reuters by telephone from the coastal town of Haradheere.

"So the pirates are now directly negotiating with the Ukrainians and we hope things will be better now ... they are expecting more then $5 million and the ship will be freed soon."

The Faina's owners could not immediately be reached.</div>
Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE50E08B20090115" target="_blank">http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE50E08B20090115</a>

Thagarr · Jan 18, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Hijacked Ukrainian tank ship's crew unwell</b>
Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:55am EST

MOGADISHU, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Some crew members of a Ukrainian ship hijacked off Somalia with 33 tanks on board have fallen sick, a local businessman said.

The MV Faina, the highest-profile of a dozen ships being held off Somalia, was captured in September with its 20-man crew and a cargo of Soviet-era T-72 tanks plus other weapons.

The pirates want $5 million to release the boat, and its crew of mainly Russians and Ukrainians. One sick crew member died in the early days of the hijacking.

"Seven of the MV Faina's crew have become sick and we are planning to take Somali doctors to treat these crew on the ship," businessman Osman Farah, who has dealings with the pirates, told Reuters on Saturday.

"Rashes have appeared on their bodies, and they are suffering diarrhoea. Some have high blood pressure. We do not exactly know the disease, but we think the chemicals of the weapons on the ship have affected them," he said.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of Kenyan-based regional maritime group the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said he too had heard some of the crew were sick.

"I think it's just fatigue after being there so long," he said. "Normally, the pirates allow crews to get some breaks, like playing football or doing some fishing. But with such important military equipment on board, security is very tight." (Reporting by Abdi Guled, Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Angus MacSwan)</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLI216682" target="_blank">http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLI216682</a>

Thagarr · Jan 21, 2009

Upping the anti!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Owner of Faina vessel held by Somali pirates offers higher ransom</b>

Owner of Faina vessel held by Somali pirates offers higher ransom
The owner of the Ukrainian vessel Faina, which is being held by Somali pirates, has decided to increase the size of the ransom he is prepared to pay for the vessel's release.

"Understanding the complexity of the situation, the ship owner is taking unprecedented steps now. He has decided again - and probably the last time - to increase the sum of the ransom in the hope that the pirates will also display elementary reasonableness," a press release posted on the Internet portal Sovfracht Maritime Bulletin says.

"Naturally, the process of increasing the sum cannot last endlessly," the document says. The owner cited the UN Security Council resolution of December 16, 2008 and suggested that his "financial resources have their limits."

"The ship owner has done everything to offer an acceptable sum of ransom, and it would be unrealistic and naive to hope that he will be able to satisfy the pirates' growing appetites," it said.

The complexity of the situation is determined by the nature of the cargo on board the Faina, it said.

"This has drawn a lot of forces, both explicit ones and those concealed quite skillfully, ranging from the pirate princess Michele Lynn Ballarin to the Union of Islamic Courts, which are intervening in the exceptionally sensitive negotiating process," it said.

The pirates keep playing sophisticated combinations by regularly delegating negotiating powers to each other and increasing the size of the ransom each time, the press release says.

"One could see at least one positive aspect in this: there are sober-minded people among the pirates, which gives grounds to hope that this dramatic story, of which everyone has long been sick and tired, will soon be resolved safely," the press release says.

"The negotiations with the pirates on releasing the Faina sailors are proceeding, although slowly and with unimaginable difficulties," the document says.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.kyivpost.com/world/33855" target="_blank">http://www.kyivpost.com/world/33855</a>

Pirates seize 30 Russian T-72 Tanks

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