MOGADISHU - A heavily armed U.S. destroyer was stationed off the coast of Somalia on Sunday, making sure that pirates there don’t remove tanks, ammunition and other heavy weapons from a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship.
A man claiming to be a spokesman for the pirates says they want $35 million to free the cargo ship Faina and warned of dire consequences if any military action was taken to try to free the ship.
Pirates seized the Ukrainian-operated ship Thursday as it traveled to Kenya with a load of 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts ordered by the Kenyan government.
U.S. officials said the American warship was concerned about the large amount of weapons on the hijacked freighter. In a rare gesture of cooperation, the Americans appeared to be keeping an eye on the Faina until the Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy, or Intrepid, reaches the area.
Pirate attacks worldwide have surged this year and Africa remains the world’s top piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in Somalia and 18 in Nigeria this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center.
A surge of audacious maritime attacks have taken place recently off the coast of Somalia, a war-torn country without a functioning government since 1991.
A U.S. defense official said the destroyer USS Howard was within a few thousand yards of the Faina, which is anchored a few miles off the Somalia coast. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
The destroyer is watching to make sure the pirates do not try to remove anything, the official added. He did not say what the U.S. reaction would be if they did.
The USS Howard’s Web site says it has surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, anti-submarine rockets, torpedoes, and a five-inch rapid-fire deck gun.
Five nations were sharing information to try to secure the swift release of the ship and its crew — Ukraine, Somalia, Russia, the United States and Britain. Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua, however, insisted his country does not negotiate with pirates or terrorists.
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