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Pirates seize ship carrying 33 tanks
Vessel attacked off coast of Somalia, agency says
The Associated Press
updated 11:00 a.m. ET, Fri., Sept. 26, 2008
KIEV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian ship seized off Somalia by pirates had 33 Russian T-72 tanks in its cargo, officials said Friday. Twenty-one crew members were also on board when the vessel was hijacked in waters near the troubled African country, an international anti-piracy watchdog said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov told reporters that the cargo on the ship, the Faina, also included "a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts," according to Larisa Mudrak, a spokeswoman for President Viktor Yushchenko.
The hijacking brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 61 this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.
It was not immediately known where the tanks were being shipped to, although the ITAR-Tass news agency said they had been sold to Kenya. Yekhanurov also said the tanks had been sold "in accordance with international law," according to Mudrak.
Choong said pirates attacked the Ukrainian vessel Thursday.
Russia said Friday it has sent a patrol ship from Russia's Baltic Sea fleet to the area, but a navy statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship.
Call for 'serious action'
Most pirate attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to the north of the African country. However, Thursday's hijacking was in the Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia — the third in that area in recent weeks.
Choong said the United Nations and the international community should take "serious action" to prevent further attacks.
"There must be a deterrent for the pirates not to attack the ships. If there is no deterrent, it will continue," he said.
The U.S. Naval Central Command has set up a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships. However, pirate attacks remain prevalent off Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
Some 20,000 vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden every year while traveling between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26901780/
Vessel attacked off coast of Somalia, agency says
The Associated Press
updated 11:00 a.m. ET, Fri., Sept. 26, 2008
KIEV, Ukraine - A Ukrainian ship seized off Somalia by pirates had 33 Russian T-72 tanks in its cargo, officials said Friday. Twenty-one crew members were also on board when the vessel was hijacked in waters near the troubled African country, an international anti-piracy watchdog said.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov told reporters that the cargo on the ship, the Faina, also included "a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts," according to Larisa Mudrak, a spokeswoman for President Viktor Yushchenko.
The hijacking brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 61 this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.
It was not immediately known where the tanks were being shipped to, although the ITAR-Tass news agency said they had been sold to Kenya. Yekhanurov also said the tanks had been sold "in accordance with international law," according to Mudrak.
Choong said pirates attacked the Ukrainian vessel Thursday.
Russia said Friday it has sent a patrol ship from Russia's Baltic Sea fleet to the area, but a navy statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship.
Call for 'serious action'
Most pirate attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to the north of the African country. However, Thursday's hijacking was in the Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia — the third in that area in recent weeks.
Choong said the United Nations and the international community should take "serious action" to prevent further attacks.
"There must be a deterrent for the pirates not to attack the ships. If there is no deterrent, it will continue," he said.
The U.S. Naval Central Command has set up a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships. However, pirate attacks remain prevalent off Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
Some 20,000 vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden every year while traveling between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26901780/
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